SoundCloud shares 2026 Music Intelligence Report on emerging music trends
In 2025, uploads hashtagged “#DJSET” on the platform increased by 39% year over year
SoundCloud’s 2026 Music Intelligence Report points to a global music ecosystem increasingly shaped by underground movements, social discovery and fluid genre boundaries, with experimental hip-hop and electronic culture leading the charge.
leaking my meeting decks because idgaf anymore. if you’re an up and coming artist in 2026, you’re going to want to read this https://t.co/vdYrd4uHSB
— SoundCloud (@SoundCloud) February 11, 2026
Drawing on platform data spanning streaming, reposts and community engagement, the report argues that many of today’s most influential sounds are emerging from artist-driven micro-scenes rather than traditional industry pipelines.
Among the early signals highlighted is the rise of regionally rooted movements expected to gain traction in the coming cycle, including Turkish cloud rap, wave and Southeast Asian breakbeat.
Across the wider landscape, the document describes a shift in which underground sounds incubated on SoundCloud are increasingly shaping mainstream listening. Experimental styles once confined to niche online communities are moving into wider circulation, particularly within hip-hop, indie and club music.
Electronic music has remained the fastest-growing genre for several years running. Also, in 2025, the number of uploads hashtagged “#DJSET” increased 39% year over year.
Dubstep is experiencing renewed momentum in the US, and guitar-led artists are drawing from hip-hop and dance production to create hybrid forms that resist clear categorisation.
The report maps a series of fast-moving scenes that are shaping the year ahead, from the intensifying energy of hard techno and schranz to youth-driven hip-hop developments such as Mexican reggaeton and DMV rap. These movements are characterised by strong Gen-Z participation and a willingness to cross genre boundaries.
Regional electronic movements play a crucial role in this ecosystem, blending local cultural rhythms with global club frameworks. Scenes such as vinahouse, baile funk, Colombian guaracha and breakbeat hybrids illustrate how geographically rooted sounds can scale internationally through digital communities.
Read the SoundCloud Music Intelligence Report 2026 in full here.
