Popular music refers to music with widespread appeal, typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry, making it accessible even to those with little musical training, in contrast to art music or traditional forms. The term itself originated in the 1880s during the Tin Pan Alley period in the United States, acting as a generic term for diverse genres, distinct from "pop music," which is a specific genre within it. Characterized by easily singable melodies and repetitive structures, popular music saw its "album era" dominance from the 1960s to the mid-2000s. Since then, digital distribution has fostered its global spread and the creation of new hybrid styles that blend Western and local traditions. Scholars define popular music by its auditory consumption and market commodity status, with Anahid Kassabian classifying it into categories like "popular as populist" (e.g., jazz), "popular as folk" (e.g., country), or "popular as counterculture" (e.g., punk rock).