Techno is a form of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s. Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno, a genre in its own right, is seen as the foundation upon which a number of subgenres have been built.

As the original sound evolved it also diverged; to such an extent that a wide spectrum of stylistically distinct musics was being referred to as techno. This ranged from overtly pop oriented acts such as Moby to the distinctly anti-commercial sentiments of the appropriately named Underground Resistance. By the late 1980s and early 90s the original techno sound had garnered a large underground following in the UK, Belgium, and Germany. Its popularity in Europe was largely due to the growth of a free party scene known as rave, and a thriving club culture.

With an increasing diversification (and commericalisation) of dance music, the collectivist sentiment prominent in the early rave scene diminished; each new faction having its own particular attitude and vision of how dance music (or in certain cases non-dance music) should evolve. Some examples include: ambient techno, trance, industrial techno, breakbeat hardcore, gabber, acid techno, happy hardcore, and minimal techno.

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