Acts from the United States of America or less commonly, the American continent (the Americas) as a whole. American musicians pioneered jazz, blues, rock, country, hip-hop, techno, house, disco, RnB, funk, soul, swing, ragtime, punk, and emo.

Related tags: Canadian, Jamaican, Brazilian, Japanese, British

Notable American acts include the two most popular solo artists in recorded music history, Elvis Presley (of Tupelo, Mississippi) and Michael Jackson (of Gary, Indiana). Both artists have sold over a billion records. During the 1960's, The Beach Boys drew comparison to The Beatles of Great Britain in terms of influence; their album Pet Sounds was cited as an inspiration for much of the Fab Four's post-1966 studio work. Seattle native Jimi Hendrix was arguably the most iconic musical act of the 1960's, though he spent much of his career as a resident in London. In 2016, Minnesota native Bob Dylan became the first musician to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Other prominent 60s artists include Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Marvin Gaye, Simon and Garfunkel, The Supremes, Jefferson Airplane, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Underground, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, The Byrds, The Monkees, and The Stooges.

Pop: Prince, Madonna, The Jackson 5, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Jewel, Cher, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, The B-52's, Arianna Grande, The Go-Go's, Taylor Swift, Justin TImberlake, Vitamin C, Nancy Sinatra, Pharrell Williams, Christina Aguilera, Stephen Foster
Jazz: Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles , Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Scatman John
Blues: B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Etta James, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Tom Waits
Rock: Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Aerosmith, Van Halen, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, Cheap Trick, Styx, Blondie, Heart, Kiss, the Allman Brothers Band, Guns N' Roses, Boston, Chicago, Kansas, The Doobie Brothers, The Runaways, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Queens of the Stone Age, Journey, Grand Funk Railroad, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, The Killers, Steve Miller Band, Tom Petty, Toto, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Devo, The Black Keys, Mountain, Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop
R&B: Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Al Green , Luther Vandross , Curtis Mayfield, Bell Biv DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Erykah Badu, Boyz II Men, The Neptunes, Usher, Alicia Keys, Anita Baker, Frank Ocean, The Supremes, Ike & Tina Turner, James Brown, 702, The Isley Brothers, Shuggie Otis, Kool & The Gang
Country: Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard
Disco: Donna Summer, Earth Wind & Fire, Village People, Gloria Gaynor, KC and the Sunshine Band, Chaka Khan, The Trammps, The Brothers Johnson, Lipps Inc., Amii Stewart, Diana Ross
Punk: Ramones, Dead Kennedys, The Replacements, Misfits, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Hüsker Dü, Bad Religion, Minutemen, Green Day, blink-182, Bikini Kill, Big Black, Circle Jerks, Germs, Adolescents, Descendents
Hip-Hop: Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, N.W.A, LL Cool J, 2Pac, The Notorious BIG, Lauryn Hill, JAY-Z, Nas, Kanye West, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar, Future, OutKast, Snoop Dogg, Azealia Banks, Jay Electronica, J Dilla, Madvillain, A$AP Rocky, Cypress Hill, Young Thug, Big Punisher, El-P, Lil B, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Vanilla Ice
Metal: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Dream Theater, KoRn, System of a Down, Disturbed, Slipknot, Primus, Incubus, Pantera, Mastodon, Linkin Park, Exodus, Avenged Sevenfold, Death, Suicidal Tendencies, Limp Bizkit
Alternative: Pixies, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth, Weezer, Sublime, No Doubt, Alice in Chains, Live, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Animal Collective, Soundgarden, Hole, Ween, Butthole Surfers , Dinosaur Jr., Foo FIghters, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Cake, Paramore, Spin Doctors, 4 Non Blondes, Gin Blossoms, The White Stripes, The Presidents of the United States of America, L7, Beck, Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, 311, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails
Indie: Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, Bon Iver, Beach House, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, TV on the Radio, Rilo Kiley, Portugal. The Man, The National, Ariel Pink, Sufjan Stevens, Toro y Moi, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Car Seat Headrest, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Microphones, Wilco, The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie
Electronic: Frankie Knuckles, Phuture, Juan Atkins, Mr. Fingers, Steve Aoki, The Glitch Mob, John Maus, Porter Robinson, DJ Shadow, DJ Sprinkles (Terre Thaemlitz), Vektroid, XXYYXX, Skrillex
Experimental: Glenn Branca, Swans, Death Grips, JPEGMAFIA, 100 gecs, Chelsea Wolfe, Xiu Xiu, Buckethead, James Ferraro, Yves Tumor
Emo: American Football, Fall Out Boy, At the Drive-In, My Chemical Romance, Sunny Day Real Estate, Rites of Spring, Jimmy Eat World, Panic! at the Disco, Modern Baseball, Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, The Front Bottoms