The term avant garde is commonly used to refer to people or works that are experimental or novel, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics. Avant garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo.

Avant garde in music may refer to an extreme form of musical improvisation in which little or no regard is given by soloists to any underlying chord structure or rhythm, such as free jazz and some forms of noise music. However, it may refer to any form of experimental music, even those working within many of the traditional structures.

Avant garde is generally considered to include sub-genres such as minimalist, ambient, new age, experimental music and various forms of electronic music.