The decade of 70s saw the rise of disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 70s
Aside from disco, funk, soul, R&B, smooth jazz, and jazz fusion remained popular throughout the decade. Rock music played an important part in the Western musical scene, with punk rock thriving throughout the mid to late 1970s.

Other subgenres of rock, particularly glam rock, hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, blues rock, and heavy metal achieved various amounts of success.
Other genres such as reggae were innovative throughout the decade and grew a significant following.
 Classical and minimalist music by classical composers. A subgenre of classical, film scores, remained popular with movie-goers. Alongside the popularity of experimental music, the decade was notable for its contributions to electronic music, led to the creation of synthpop. Pop also had a popularity role in the 1970s.