R&B, Reggae & Jazz among happiest music fans, study reveals

From metal to EDM, SeatPick analysed more than 8 million Reddit posts and comments to determine which genre’s fans are the happiest, most opinionated and most passionate about the music they love. Utilising VADER, a sentiment analysis tool, they created a happiness score based on a range of metrics – from percentage of positive and negative comments to emotional divide among fans.

1. R&B – 9.23 out of 10

SeatPick discovered that fans of R&B are the happiest, scoring 9.23 out of 10, with almost 61% of all comments holding a strong positive sentiment. Analysing all comments and posts from the past year, fans of Leon Thomas, Kali Uchis and The Weeknd have been elated with recent projects. R&B fans also rank as the most passionate fans, posting the longest, most in-depth comments on the subreddit, consistently sharing undiscovered artists and encouraging discussions around new music.

2. Reggae – 8.46 out of 10

Enjoying the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, reggae fans live up to their positive nature and rank the second-happiest of all music genres. With a score of 8.46 out of 10, they report the lowest percentage of negative comments and opinions online (5.6%). Its close-knit community often positively discusses the genre's complex evolution and celebrates nostalgia, contributing to its high score in both happiness and passion.

3. Classical – 7.69 out of 10

Fans of classical music are the third happiest, with a happiness score of 7.69 out of 10. While they received the second-highest share of emotionally intense positive comments, they were pushed into third place overall due to a relatively higher proportion of negative comments (6.1%). However, classical fans are also among the most passionate, with essays showcasing their appreciation for Redditors' performances and homages to the greats commonly found in r/classicalmusic.

4. Jazz – 6.92 out of 10

With discussions about the peak of jazz and rare vinyl’s popular within the fanbase, their positive sentiment carries them to fourth position overall (6.92). Its high ranking can be attributed to having the lowest percentage of negative comments (5.2%) among all analysed subreddits.

5. EDM – 6.15 out of 10

From house to hardstyle, the EDM subreddit covers a number of subgenres, with an overall happiness score of 6.15 out of 10. The stereotypical feel-good raver lives up to their name, as the genre ranks fifth happiest compared to all other genres. EDM also ranks just outside of the top five for most passionate fans, with the average length of comments and posts at 508 characters, as fans discuss underrated artists and recommendations in-depth.

To round up the top 10 happiest fans rankings, SeatPick found that opera fans rank sixth overall, followed by pop in seventh, hip-hop in eighth, rock in ninth and country in 10th.