What Is Hyperpop Music? Beginner’s Guide To The Genre
Nov 9, 2025
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Tero Potila
You’ve probably seen hyperpop mentioned online or stumbled across it on playlists packed with distorted beats and high-energy vocals. So, what exactly is hyperpop?
Hyperpop is a digital-era explosive evolution of what pop music can be. It takes the standard pop formula and pushes it into overdrive, blending electronic, hip-hop, and experimental elements.
Hyperpop has a futuristic yet uniquely nostalgic feel, like a remix of internet culture itself. Its roots date back to early 2010s UK collectives like PC Music, but it really took off in the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, thanks to social media and a number of bedroom producers.
I’ve watched hyperpop’s rule-breaking style spark a whole new wave of artists. It’s almost like making music that sounds the way the internet feels—fast, jumbled, and completely unapologetic.
What Is Hyperpop?
Hyperpop combines electronic experimentation with pop’s addictive hooks, creating a dense, high-energy wall of sound that is hard to ignore. It’s got digital aesthetics, often some meme humor, and a raw honesty that makes chaos feel deliberate and intriguing.
Origins and Influences
The early 2010s in the UK saw the emergence of hyperpop, primarily through producers associated with PC Music. Artists such as A.G. Cook and SOPHIE essentially blended bubblegum pop melodies with industrial and electronic noise, creating something that felt both futuristic yet familiar.
It drew inspiration from dance music, elements reminiscent of video-game sounds, and a heavy dose of internet culture, almost as if it were the soundtrack to growing up online. Early tracks often exaggerated pop’s shiny production, turning effects like Auto-Tune and distortion into features, rather than flaws.
By the late 2010s, Charli XCX and 100 gecs dragged hyperpop into the spotlight. Their tracks blurred the lines between underground weirdness and mainstream pop, and you could hear the ripple effect on producers everywhere.
Hyperpop’s “anything-goes” mindset encouraged producers to become a lot more playful.
Signature Sound and Style
Sonically, hyperpop is characterized by bright synths, pitched vocals, and compressed, digital-sounding beats.
In my production work, I’ve noticed that the most effective hyperpop tracks trade pristine clean sound for hyper-real textures.
Producers love to stack sugary hooks against abrasive noise, contrasting being a big part of the draw in this genre. There’s bubblegum bass, glitchy drums, and sudden tempo jumps that keep the listener guessing. You can hear a bit of EDM, trap, and emo rock all mashed together in dense, hyperactive arrangements.
This kind of sound design gives hyperpop its unique emotional kick—it’s playful, anxious, and sincere, all at once.
Cultural Impact and Community
I’ve seen how hyperpop truly thrives online, particularly on TikTok, SoundCloud, and Discord. Collaboration and remixing are everywhere, and it’s easy to jump in if you’ve got a laptop and some wild ideas.
The genre offers a space where identity and self-expression are more fluid and genuinely celebrated. Many artists employ exaggerated looks and lyrics to subvert pop and gender norms.
Visually, it’s all neon, pixel art, and throwbacks to early internet vibes. From cramped bedrooms to festival stages, hyperpop’s reach continues to grow as more people find something freeing in all that intensity and openness.
If all that chaos and creativity has you inspired, the best way to understand hyperpop is to make some yourself.
How To Produce Hyperpop
If you’re just getting started with production, the beauty of hyperpop is that you don’t need expensive gear or a fancy studio. Some of the biggest hyperpop tracks were made on laptops with basic headphones — what really matters is attitude and experimentation.
Check out Soundtrap’s Hyperpop Sample Collection – Princess: it’s full of glitchy drums, bright leads, and processed vocals to get you started. Combine those loops with your own ideas, and you’ll have your first hyperpop track faster than you think.
1. Start With A Catchy Hook
Hyperpop thrives on strong melodies. Even though the sound design can be chaotic, the core is still pop.
I always start with a simple, memorable melody or chord progression — something you could hum even after the distortion fades. Try building your hook using bright synths or vocal samples, then loop it until it feels irresistible.
2. Push The Sound Design
Don’t be afraid to go over the top. Pitch your vocals higher or lower than usual, crush your drums with distortion, or automate filters to create glitchy, unpredictable textures.
Hyperpop is about embracing the artificial. You can use Soundtrap’s built-in effects like Auto-Tune, Bitcrusher, and Compressor to exaggerate your sounds in fun, creative ways.
3. Layer Contrasts
One of hyperpop’s hallmarks is its ability to combine extremes — cute melodies meet aggressive beats, or soft vocals clash against distorted bass.
Try stacking a bubblegum-sweet synth lead with a heavy 808 or metallic snare. I like to think of it as a sound collage: contrasting emotions and textures until something surprising clicks.
4. Keep The Energy Unpredictable
Hyperpop arrangements often feel like they’re constantly mutating. Drop the drums for half a bar, double the tempo mid-chorus, or switch keys unexpectedly.
Use automation and randomization to keep listeners on their toes. Even subtle tempo changes or stuttered transitions can make your track feel alive and unpredictable.
5. Play With Vocals Like An Instrument
Vocals in hyperpop are rarely left “natural.” Artists like Charli XCX and Glaive use vocal chops, pitch-shifting, and heavy tuning as expressive tools.
Record your vocals, then experiment — cut them into pieces, run them through formant shifting, or layer harmonies until your voice feels like part of the synth texture.
Key Artists, Albums, and the Hyperpop Scene
Pioneers and Major Influences
When tracing the roots of hyperpop, it’s worth starting with A. G. Cook and the PC Music crew. Their glossy, synthetic style really set the tone for the whole genre.
Charli XCX took things further with projects like Vroom Vroom, blending avant-garde production with traditional pop hooks.
Then artists like Hannah Diamond, Dorian Electra, and Slayyyter each brought their own spin with unique visuals and gender-fluid vibes. Their work walks a line between irony and sincerity, utilizing digital distortion to explore identity.
While hyperpop builds on the synthetic pop legacy of artists like Lady Gaga and the experimental production sensibility of Kate Bush or J Dilla, it warps that legacy into something over-the-top.
Breakout Albums and Tracks
There are a handful of releases that really pushed hyperpop forward. 100 gecs’ first album, “1000 Gecs”, introduced a ton of people to the genre’s over-the-top style.
Charli XCX’s “How I’m Feeling Now” and A. G. Cook’s “Apple” gave hyperpop some real industry clout. Tracks like “Money Machine,” “Claws,” and “Flamboyant” are now iconic, characterized by their distorted vocals, slammed drums, and lyrics that feel both synthetic and intensely personal.
I remember when I first heard “Money Machine” by 100 gecs back in 2019, and its glitchy sound and raw energy blew me away.
Streaming platforms helped the genre blow up. Spotify’s Hyperpop playlist and Apple Music’s features gave indie artists a chance at the kind of exposure that was once impossible.
Even some music industry awards are starting to recognize the movement, and the genre is increasingly visible in end-of-year lists and industry commentary.
Hyperpop’s Digital Platforms and Community
Hyperpop’s scene is truly alive online. Spotify, SoundCloud, and Discord servers have become unexpected creative hubs where fans and musicians share unfinished demos and swap production tips.
Many young artists are building entire careers from their bedrooms. They’re using affordable software and leaning hard on social media to get the word out.
The Spotify app and TikTok trends are often the decisive factors in which songs get noticed. Sometimes a viral moment will catapult a track from an obscure playlist directly into the mainstream overnight.
Community is still at the heart of it all. Fans enjoy studying the production credits, remixing each other’s tracks, and highlighting individuality wherever they find it.
Spotify editor Lizzy Szabo helped popularize the term by curating the Hyperpop playlist in 2019, giving many of these artists a global stage.
Conclusion
Hyperpop isn’t just a genre; it’s a creative movement powered by curiosity and digital DIY energy.
As a producer, I love how it reminds us that music doesn’t have to fit a mold.
Whether you’re chopping vocals or distorting your first beat, hyperpop permits you to go too far. That’s precisely where the magic happens.
About the author
Tero Potila is a professional music composer and producer. His career combining knowledge and experience from music, TV, film, ad, and game industries gives him a unique perspective that he shares through posts on teropotila.com.
