

This type of folk music also includes fusion genres such as folk rock, folk metal, electric folk, and others. Smaller similar revivals have occurred elsewhere in the world at other times, but the term folk music has typically not been applied to the new music created during those revivals. This form of music is sometimes called contemporary folk music or folk revival music to distinguish it from earlier folk forms. This process and period is called the (second) folk revival and reached a zenith in the 1960s. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from traditional folk music. One meaning often given is that of old songs, with no known composers another is music that has been transmitted and evolved by a process of oral transmission or performed by custom over a long period of time. It has been contrasted with commercial and classical styles. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted orally, or as music with unknown composers. Some types of folk music are also called world music.

The term originated in the 19th century but is often applied to music that is older than that. Folk music includes both traditional music and the genre that evolved from it during the 20th century folk revival.
