BPM Chart — BPM by Genre & Famous Songs
Every genre lives in its own tempo zone. Use this BPM chart to find where your track should sit — then check any song’s real tempo with our tap tool.
BPM Chart by Genre
These are the tempo ranges you will hear most often in each genre. Individual songs can sit outside them, but if you are producing, DJing or building a playlist, these ranges are the reliable starting point.
| Genre | Typical BPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient / chillout | 60–90 | Slow, spacious, often no strong beat |
| Ballads | 60–90 | Emotional pop and rock ballads |
| Downtempo / trip hop | 80–110 | Laid-back grooves |
| Reggae | 60–80 | Often felt in half-time |
| Reggaeton | 85–95 | Built on the dembow rhythm |
| Hip hop (boom bap) | 85–100 | Classic East Coast tempo zone |
| Hip hop / trap | 130–150 | Usually felt in half-time at 65–75 |
| R&B | 90–110 | Smooth mid-tempo |
| Pop | 100–130 | The radio sweet spot |
| Funk / disco | 105–125 | Four-on-the-floor origins |
| Rock | 110–140 | Driving guitar tempos |
| House | 118–135 | Club standard, often 122–128 |
| EDM / big room | 126–132 | Festival mainstage zone |
| Techno | 120–150 | Warehouse tempos, often 130+ |
| Trance | 135–145 | Uplifting energy |
| Dubstep | 140 | Felt in half-time at 70 |
| Drum & bass | 160–180 | Fast breakbeats, often 174 |
| Hardcore / gabber | 160–200+ | The extreme end of dance music |
Famous Songs and Their BPM
Well-known tracks at their commonly listed tempos — a handy reference when you want a reference track for your own production. Figures are the widely published BPM values for these recordings; live versions can differ.
| Song | Artist | BPM |
|---|---|---|
| “Stayin’ Alive” | Bee Gees | 103 |
| “Billie Jean” | Michael Jackson | 117 |
| “Superstition” | Stevie Wonder | 101 |
| “Take On Me” | a-ha | 169 |
| “Dancing Queen” | ABBA | 100 |
| “Uptown Funk” | Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars | 115 |
| “Shape of You” | Ed Sheeran | 96 |
| “Blinding Lights” | The Weeknd | 171 |
| “Levitating” | Dua Lipa | 103 |
| “Despacito” | Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee | 89 |
| “Old Town Road” | Lil Nas X | 136 |
| “Humble” | Kendrick Lamar | 150 |
| “Sandstorm” | Darude | 136 |
| “One More Time” | Daft Punk | 123 |
| “Titanium” | David Guetta ft. Sia | 126 |
| “Sweet Child O’ Mine” | Guns N’ Roses | 125 |
| “Back in Black” | AC/DC | 92 |
| “Enter Sandman” | Metallica | 123 |
| “Someone Like You” | Adele | 67 |
| “Perfect” | Ed Sheeran | 63 |
How to Check Any Song’s BPM
Play the song, open the tap tempo tool on our homepage and tap along with the beat for a few seconds — the BPM appears live as you tap. If you then need delay or reverb times for that tempo, the BPM calculator converts it into milliseconds for every note value.
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BPM Chart FAQs
What is a good BPM for a workout playlist?
Most people move comfortably at 120–140 BPM for cardio. For running specifically, cadence matters more than song tempo alone — see our running cadence BPM guide.
Why do trap songs show 140 BPM but feel slow?
Trap is usually counted at 130–150 BPM but the drums are felt in half-time, so your body locks onto 65–75 BPM. Both numbers describe the same track from different counting angles.
How do DJs use a BPM chart?
DJs group tracks by genre and BPM so transitions stay smooth: mixing two songs within about ±5 BPM of each other keeps the energy continuous while beatmatching.
Is the BPM of a famous song always exact?
Published BPM values come from the studio recording and are accurate for that version. Remixes, live recordings and sped-up edits will differ — measure any version yourself with the tap tool.