What is J-Pop? Japanese pop culture has included the musical genre known as J-pop , which is an acronym for Japanese pop or Japanese pop music, since the middle of the 20th century. J-pop encompasses a wide range of musical styles, including pop-rock, folk, jazz, vocal ballads, and “idol pop,” which showcases the highly polished and heavily promoted performers known as Japanese idols and idol groups. Since the early 1990s, pop bands, pop stars, boy bands, girl groups, and certain performers from the hip-hop and rock worlds have been included in the term "J-pop," which has evolved to refer to music by vocalists and musical groups outside of the hard rock, metal, punk, and electronic music genres. Similar to its Western equivalent, J-pop music is radio-friendly, uplifting, and easily listened to. Its supporters have an optimistic outlook, and the songs touch on relatable yet basic subjects like striving, happiness, and first love and heartbreak. Similar to Western music, J-pop...