reggaeton wave
/ˌrɛɡəˈtoʊn weɪv/
UncommonThe ongoing mainstream explosion of reggaeton globally, especially its crossover into pop, EDM, and streaming charts.
Used to describe a cultural phenomenon, not the genre itself. Someone can enjoy reggaeton without discussing the wave. The wave framing comes up when people talk about scale, influence, and what it means for Latin music in global pop.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | the reggaeton wave hit and pop music hasn't recovered in the best possible way | Reggaeton's influence has permanently changed pop music, which the speaker sees as positive. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | bad bunny single-handedly kept the reggaeton wave alive with that album | Crediting an artist's release with sustaining the genre's mainstream momentum. | instagram, 2023 |
| 03 | everyone is riding the reggaeton wave now. not hating, but where were you in 2010. | Mild gatekeeping from a longtime fan toward newcomers joining the trend late. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | you can hear the reggaeton wave in this pop track. that dembow pattern is everywhere. | Pointing out reggaeton's rhythmic influence in a non-reggaeton song. | youtube, 2024 |
Use it when
- Talking about reggaeton's cultural and commercial expansion beyond Latin markets.
- Describing a moment when reggaeton artists crossed over into mainstream global charts.
- Analyzing how dembow rhythms or reggaeton production elements spread into pop and EDM.
Do not use it when
- You mean reggaeton as a genre, not the broader cultural moment.Use “reggaeton” instead.
- You mean Latin music broadly, which includes many genres beyond reggaeton.Use “latin music” instead.
Reggaeton wave vs baile funk
reggaeton wave
The reggaeton wave describes the Spanish-language, Puerto Rican and Colombian genre's global mainstream explosion.
baile-funk
Baile funk is a separate Brazilian genre with Portuguese lyrics and a different rhythm structure.
Origin and context
Reggaeton itself originated in Puerto Rico in the 1990s, influenced by Jamaican dancehall and hip-hop. The 'wave' framing emerged as the genre crossed over globally from the mid-2010s onward, accelerated by artists like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and streaming's role in eliminating language barriers.
- First seen
- mid-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/reggaeton-wave