A type of Jamaican popular music developed around 1980, with exponents such as Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. The style is characterised by a deejay singing and rapping or toasting over raw and fast danceable 'riddims' (rhythms). The rhythm in dancehall is much faster than in reggae, sometimes with drum machines replacing acoustic sets.

In the early years of dancehall, some found its lyrics crude and bawdy ('slack'), particularly because of its sexual tones, popular among youths in Jamaica. Like its reggae predecessor, it eventually made inroads onto the world music scene.