Everyone that responds to this thread will respond differently. People define genres in many different ways, and often artists will even define genres in ways that are unusual (or to go as far to say their music doesn't fit any genres). Here's my breakdown of genres that are very popular right now:

• Big Room House: this is what you hear at every mainstage. When the drop comes, and it just sounds like one instrument hitting different notes, that's the best way I can think of to describe Big Room. Example artists are Martin Garrix, DVBBS, and what Tiesto has been doing lately.

Martin Garrix - Animals

• Electro House: This has been grouped in with Big Room very often, and the difference is becoming increasingly small. The electro sound has been around for a much longer time and was around during the blowup of artists like Afrojack and Steve Aoki - this is what they came up on. For a while, the "Dirty Dutch" brand was a great example. Chuckie, R3hab, and others have championed this style for a while, but are fading in relevancy.

Mohombi - Bumpy Ride (Chuckie Remix)

• Progressive House: Here's one that's highly debated. Most people that are purists will tell you that Progressive House is the genre that Eric Prydz, Jeremy Olander, and Fehrplay produce. Very slow to build, very long tracks, with drops that "hit their peak" after long buildups. Get it - PROGRESSIVE. People began, a while ago, to include artists like Avicii, Alesso, and Axwell /\ Ingrosso in this category, but their music fits more closely in with "Dance" than Progressive House

Eric Prydz - Everyday

• Commercial House / Dance: Think anything that crosses over. Avicii, David Guetta, Axwell Ingrosso, Alesso - these guys fit in here. It's hardly a definitive genre but this is what you'll normally hear people refer to it as. Those tracks with mainstream singers and stuff - right here.

David Guetta - Where Them Girls At

• Future House: Tchami, Oliver Heldens, kayliox. This is that sound that people today describe as "deep" and that Spinnin' releases on their "Deep" label, but it really sounds nothing like Deep House. You can recognize this because the entire genre revolves around the same exact "future" synth.

Oliver Heldens - Gecko

Deep House: I'm not your guy to touch this, honestly.

Dubstep: Defined by a drum pattern, certain BPM, and sound engineering to be "dirty" and stuff. There are people that will tell you that Skrillex "isn't real dubstep and you have to listen to Burial because it has more 'space'" but everyone rolls their eyes at these people anyway. This is dubstep:

Flux Pavilion - I Can't Stop

Trap: Again, defined by a drum pattern and bpm mostly. Any time you hear a track with a drum pattern that sounds like it was forcefully ripped from inner city music or music in which people literally have no control over their high hats, this is it. Note that trap is my favorite genre. Think Flosstradamus, Baauer, TNGHT, or Mr. Carmack

Major Lazer - Original Don (Flosstradamus Remix)

• Tropical House: Literal nonsense (ok thats my opinion.) It's music that revolves, again, around a few sounds - mainly a sax, a steel drum, or a flute. Anything Kygo, Thomas Jack, Sam Feldt, or Autograf probably fits here.

Kygo - Firestone

• Techno: Hot Since 82, Adam Beyer, Carl Cox. I don't know how to put it in words. Think minimal, think dark, think aggressive - late night club dancefloor, musky music. Listening to techno on headphones doesn't come close to the real experience. You NEED to see it live to appreciate it.

Live set from Hot Since 82

I write for an electronic music publication and I've never heard of Handsup so maybe someone can help a brotha out.

There are a ton of subgenres that you shouldn't waste your time knowing.

The easiest way to to break everything into general categories. This is how I do it.

Big Room House - mainstage music. Ranges from Oliver Heldens to Avicii to Martin Garrix to the Chainsmokers to David Guetta to Afrojack. Electro house, commercial house, big room, all in one.

Big Room Trance - anything trance related. I can't stand this stuff.

Deep - includes anything Techno, Deep House, Tech House, "minimal house" etc etc. I honestly tend to throw Tropical in here just because it doesn't fit the mainstage mentality of "Big Room"

Bass - includes dubstep, trap, drum n bass, future bass, etc etc