Nerd music (or geek music) is the overall category of music collecting the musical genres that grew from nerd culture; different styles that share the same common ground. The earliest example was filk music, from the 1950s onwards, played by fans at science fiction conventions. Towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, other styles of music developed. Factors that made this possible were the increasing affordability of equipment, the growth of the internet and the increase in the nerd/geek demographic.
Bitpop: A subgenre of chiptune, mixing sound chips with traditional instruments.
Chiptune: Synthesized electronic music produced by the sound chips of vintage computers, video game consoles, and arcade machines.
Filk: A form of fan labor (analogous to fan fiction) originating in science fiction conventions. The name is due to a typographic error in "folk music" that caught on in the fan community.
Geek rock: A subgenre of alternative rock.
Heavy Mithril: A subgenre of heavy metal.
Nerdcore: A subgenre of hip hop.
Nerd-folk: A subgenre of contemporary folk.
Nerd punk: A subgenre of geek rock and punk rock.
Nintendocore: A fusion of rock with chiptune and video game music.
Skweee: A fusion of soul and chiptune.
Space funk: A subgenre of funk.
Time Lord rock: A subgenre of geek rock, based on the Doctor Who series
Twi-rock: A subgenre of geek rock, based on the Twilight series
Wizard rock: A subgenre of geek rock, based on the Harry Potter series
Events and festivals
The music festival Nerdapalooza (2007–13) described itself as "the first of its kind to invite all genres of the nerd music movement under one roof, including nerd rock, nerdcore hip hop, chiptunes, and video game music." Other conventions and events have since hosted nerd music acts of a range of styles.
