Rage (music genre)

Rage (also known as rage music, rage beats or rage rap) is a subgenre of trap music that originated in the United States in the late 2010s. The early rage sound was characterized by short, looping,

Etymology#

The term “rage” in reference to the microgenre comes from “Miss the Rage”, a genre-pioneering track made in 2021 by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti whose title references mosh pits during rap concerts that Trippie Redd longed for during COVID-19 lockdowns. During the 2010s, multiple artists and critics used the word “rage” in the context of hip-hop, mostly either referring to overdriven energetic sound or the moshing that would ensue at rap shows, examples being Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage (2015) and Luv Is Rage 2 (2017) releases.

Characteristics#

Rage is mainly characterized by the use of stereo-widened EDM-influenced lead synthesizer patches, reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s game soundtracks and of trance music, Rage has been described as futuristic, electric, and synth-driven. Vivian Medithi of HipHopDX described rage as a sound rooting in plugg music legacy with more electronic influences. Tom Breihan of Stereogum described rage beats as glitchy and as “a cheap, functional type of beat — the type of beat that seems to spring almost entirely from the “type beats” that have proliferated on YouTube in the past few years — but its cheapness is disorienting and sometimes even psychedelic”.

Influences#

Synth hooks play such a role in rage that the whole sound has been described as a “hybrid genre of trap music and EDM”. EDM loop from “Miss the Rage” came from the royalty-free in rage beats.

2010s: Origins#

Among the immediate precursors of rage are beats made by Mike Will Made It, beats made by Dun Deal and C4 for 1017 Thug by Young Thug, and beats by Metro Boomin and Southside from the mid-2010s. Metro produced Future’s 2015 song “I Serve the Base”, which has been described as an early rage track. Abo Kado, writing for Mikiki, suggested that rage beats primarily evolved from the production styles of Pi’erre Bourne, Maaly Raw, and F1lthy, all of whom integrated trap music and synthesizer melodies in their beats, derived strong influence from video game music, and also worked closely with rappers Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert. The production style of Pi’erre Bourne and the music of Lil Uzi Vert were, in turn, influenced by the music of Wiz Khalifa and producer Sledgren, who sometimes incorporated video game samples in their music and were, in turn, influenced by early attempts to fuse European synthesizer-based music with hip-hop and contemporary R&B during the 2000s by Polow Da Don and others.

2020s: Development and popularity#

Playboi Carti has often been suggested as either an originator or primary popularizer of rage, laying the foundation of the genre on his 2018 album Die Lit, It’s also often suggested that the foundation of rage had been laid with Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red, released in 2020

2021–2023#

The genre’s popularity and breakthrough is also attributed to the 2021 single “Miss the Rage” by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti. Along with Whole Lotta Red, “Miss the Rage” was influential in defining the rage genre, with multiple producers and rappers adopting the style after the single was released. “What’s Next” reached the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Playboi Carti’s record label Opium has been an influential force in the genre, with artists such as Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang signed to the label. Yeat started releasing a more chaotic and dark version of rage rap, After becoming popular on TikTok, Yeat’s music was noticed by the likes of Lil Yachty and Drake. SSGKobe, Ken Carson, TyFontaine, Snot, Cochise,

2024–present: Evolution#

By the mid-2020s, rage rap would evolve into a more extreme and experimental sound with artists such as Rexv2, OsamaSon, Che, 2Slimey, This style was defined by the use of bass heavy 808s and aggressive production, with notable examples emerging in 2025 such as OsamaSon’s psykotic, Che’s Rest In Bass and 2Slimey’s High Anxiety. Rapper Nine Vicious, at first known for his association with YSL Records, was also described as a rage rapper. The rage scene largely coalesced with the underground hip-hop scene, with other digital rap scenes like jerk, plugg and digicore all being largely intertwined. In April 2026, Pitchfork reviewed American rapper Slayr’s debut mixtape Half Blood (Bloodluxe), rating it a 6.7. Writer Mano Sundaresan argued that the album reflected a commercial accessible take on rage rap, stating that Slayr made “maximalist, crowd-pleasing rage rap that prioritizes craft over feeling”. He added that, “if rage rap ever makes its way onto a Target store playlist, it might sound a little like Slayr.”

Regional scenes#

In the United Kingdom, Lancey Foux, a British rapper, released the album Live.Evil in 2021, which contained rage elements mixed with UK hip-hop.