Answers
House vs EDM: What’s the Difference?
House is a genre. EDM is a label. One came from Chicago clubs in the 1980s, the other from American festival marketing in the 2010s.
House
- Born in Chicago in the early 1980s
- Four-to-the-floor kick, usually 118–130 BPM
- Roots in disco, soul and gospel
- Built for clubs and long DJ sets
- Artists: Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Black Coffee
EDM
- A term popularised in the US around 2010–2012
- Covers big-room, electro, dubstep, trap and more
- Built around festival drops and pop crossover
- Often louder, faster, more maximal
- Some house sits inside it, much doesn’t
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The short version
All house can be dance music. Not all dance music is house.
If you hear a steady four-on-the-floor kick around 120–128 BPM, a groove rather than a drop, and roots in disco or soul, you’re listening to house. Start with Chicago house or deep house to hear the difference.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
Is house music EDM?
House predates the term EDM by about 30 years. Some house is marketed as EDM, but house is its own genre.
What BPM is house music?
Usually about 118–130 BPM.
Sources: Wikipedia: House music, Wikipedia: Electronic dance music. Facts checked October 2026. Spot something wrong? Tell us.