What is a Music Genre Tier List?

A Music Genre Tier List is a meme format where people rank music genres from S tier (best) to F tier (worst) using a ranking system that originated in fighting game communities[1].

Where did Music Genre Tier Lists come from?

The tier list concept came from fighting game communities, particularly Super Smash Bros., and spread to music and other topics through YouTube and Twitch during the mid- and late 2010s[1].

What does a Music Genre Tier List mean?

It's a visual ranking of someone's personal music taste. Genres placed in S tier are the creator's favorites, while F tier genres are their least favorite. The lists are entirely subjective[1].

How do you use a Music Genre Tier List?

Use a TierMaker template or create a grid, sort genres into tiers from S to F based on preference, then share on social media or film a video explaining your picks[1].

Is the Music Genre Tier List still popular?

Yes. Tier list content, including music genre rankings, is still a staple format on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit. The format's built-in engagement factor keeps it relevant[1].

Why do tier lists always cause arguments?

Music taste is deeply personal and tied to identity, so ranking someone's favorite genre in a low tier feels like a personal slight. The rigid ranking structure forces definitive judgments on subjective preferences[1].

What genre is usually ranked lowest?

Country music is frequently placed in F or D tier in viral music tier lists, particularly among younger internet users, though this varies by creator and audience.

Where did the S tier come from?

The S ranking originated in Japanese gaming culture and was adopted by the fighting game community. It stands for "Special" or "Superb" and represents the highest tier[1].

What's the difference between a music tier list and a music ranking?

A traditional ranking orders items linearly (1st, 2nd, 3rd), while a tier list groups items into quality buckets. Multiple genres can share the same tier, making it a looser and more debate-friendly format[1].

Music Genre Tier List

2017Tier list / opinion templateactive

Also known as: Genre Tier List · Music Tier List · Rate My Music Taste

Music Genre Tier List is a 2017 meme format where users rank music genres on an S-through-F tier scale borrowed from fighting games, reliably generating arguments because musical taste is deeply personal.

Music Genre Tier List is a meme format where people rank music genres from best to worst using the S-through-F tier system borrowed from fighting game communities. The format took off during the broader tier list craze on YouTube and Twitch in the mid- and late 2010s1. These lists reliably generate arguments because musical taste is deeply personal, making "Country in F tier" or "Jazz in S tier" guaranteed engagement bait across every platform.

tier ranking memes music memes exploitable templates debate memes

Overview

The Music Genre Tier List takes the tier ranking system originally used to rank fighting game characters and applies it to music genres. Participants place genres like hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical, country, EDM, R&B, metal, and pop into ranked tiers, typically S (top), A, B, C, D, and F (bottom). The format works because it forces definitive rankings on something entirely subjective, which almost always starts an argument.

Most versions use TierMaker templates or simple grid images. YouTube creators film themselves sorting genres while explaining their reasoning. On Twitter and Reddit, people post their completed tier lists as static images, daring followers to roast their choices. The meme's staying power comes from the fact that no two people agree on genre rankings, and dunking on someone's music taste is one of the internet's oldest pastimes.

Tier lists originated in the fighting game community as a way to rank character viability. The concept was closely tied to Super Smash Bros. and its competitive scene1. The format migrated from niche gaming forums to mainstream internet culture when creators on YouTube and Twitch started applying tier rankings to everything from fast food to dog breeds to music genres during the mid- and late 2010s1.

The music genre version emerged as a natural extension of this trend. As tier list content exploded across YouTube and Twitch, ranking music genres became one of the most popular non-gaming applications because it tapped into identity. People treat their music taste as a core part of who they are, so telling someone their favorite genre is "D tier" hits different than ranking hamburger chains.

Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube / Twitch (tier list format), Twitter / Reddit (music genre application)

Creator

Unknown

Date

~2017-2018

Tier lists originated in the fighting game community as a way to rank character viability. The concept was closely tied to Super Smash Bros. and its competitive scene. The format migrated from niche gaming forums to mainstream internet culture when creators on YouTube and Twitch started applying tier rankings to everything from fast food to dog breeds to music genres during the mid- and late 2010s.

How It Spread

The tier list format's spread from gaming to general culture happened gradually. Patrick Lacey's TierZoo channel, which launched in July 2017, was part of a broader wave of creators applying tier list logic to non-gaming subjects. By 2018-2019, TierMaker.com had made it trivially easy for anyone to create and share tier lists, and music genre rankings became one of the site's most popular templates.

On YouTube, music commentary channels and reaction creators drove the format hard. Videos titled "Ranking Every Music Genre" or "My Music Genre Tier List" pulled strong view counts because they combined opinion content with built-in controversy. Reddit communities like r/music and r/unpopularopinion became regular hosts for music tier list debates. Twitter and later TikTok picked up the format as a quick-hit engagement tool, with creators posting their lists and asking "thoughts?" to bait replies.

The format's peak period saw it become a staple of music YouTube, podcast discussions, and streaming content. Every few months a new tier list from a popular creator would go viral, usually because they ranked a beloved genre unusually low.

Platforms

RedditTwitterReddit

Timeline

2023-01-15

First appears

2023-06-01

Goes viral

2024-01-01

Continues in use

2025-01-01

Music Genre Tier List is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

Creating a Music Genre Tier List typically follows this pattern:

Pick a tier list template (TierMaker has several music genre versions) or create a simple grid with S, A, B, C, D, and F tiers

Sort music genres into tiers based on personal preference

S tier usually means "genres I love most," F tier means "genres I can't stand"

Share the completed list on social media or film a video explaining your choices

Common convention is to include at least 10-15 genres for variety

The post often includes a caption like "Roast my taste" or "Rate my tier list"

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

Music Genre Tier Lists tapped into a long internet tradition of debating music taste, but gave it a visual, shareable format. The tier list structure, originally designed for evaluating competitive balance in games, turned out to be perfectly suited for the kind of low-stakes opinion warfare that drives social media engagement.

The format also revealed and reinforced genre stereotypes. Country and EDM frequently land in bottom tiers in viral lists, while hip-hop and rock tend to dominate upper tiers among younger creators. These patterns sparked secondary discussions about genre bias, regional identity, and whether tier lists actually say more about the list-maker than the music.

Music artists and labels occasionally engaged with the format, posting their own tier lists or reacting to fans ranking their genre. The format crossed over into music journalism, podcast segments, and even festival content.

Fun Facts

The S tier in tier lists stands for "Special" or "Superb," originating from Japanese gaming ranking systems

Tier lists trace their mainstream popularity back to the Super Smash Bros. competitive community

TierZoo's application of tier lists to animals won a Streamy Award for Learning and Education in 2023, showing how far the format traveled from its fighting game origins

Country music is statistically one of the most frequently F-tiered genres in viral music tier lists, making "Country in F" almost a meme within the meme

The tier list format became so widespread that creators like TierZoo were able to build entire careers around ranking non-game subjects

Derivatives & Variations

Subgenre Tier Lists:

Instead of broad genres, creators rank subgenres within a single genre (e.g., ranking metal subgenres or hip-hop subgenres)[1]

Decade Tier Lists:

Ranking music by decade rather than genre, using the same tier format[1]

Artist Tier Lists:

Applying the same ranking system to individual artists within a genre[1]

Album Tier Lists:

Ranking a single artist's discography in tier format[1]

"Wrong Answers Only" Tier Lists:

Deliberately absurd rankings posted as satire of the format[1]

Frequently Asked Questions

References (1)

1
TierZooencyclopedia