What is Anthemic Music?

Anthemic music is a wide category of music featuring many different songs and genres, but is primarily associated with pop and rock music.

Anthemic music, as defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary, is music that has qualities that are suitable for an anthem. These qualities include a positive message and moral that can be derived from the lyrics and can inspire others. Anthems, as defined by Wikipedia, are musical compositions of celebration used as a symbol for distinct groups, such as feminists. As defined by Merriam-Webster, anthems are songs of praise and gladness, as well as rousing popular songs that identify with certain subcultures, such as feminists (again).

Within anthemic music, there are many subgenres.

For example, there are post break-up joy songs; music promoting environmentalism; and girl power feminist movements. However, due to the broad and fluidity of the term "anthemic music", many songs can be considered anthems even with flimsy links. For this reason, whether certain songs are considered anthems or not can be contentious.

Staples of anthemic music videos include performance elements (with lip-syncing and/or dancing), a narrative element (whether one or many depends on the artist) and striking visuals that help to enforce the message of the song.