Genre comparison
RawstylevsEuphoric Hardstyle
Rawstyle and euphoric hardstyle are the two poles of the same genre. They run at the same tempo on the same reverse bass, so the split is about tone, not speed: euphoric reaches for emotional lift, rawstyle reaches for impact. Here is how the two sound, who defines each side, and where they meet in the middle.
The short version
Euphoric hardstyle and rawstyle are both subgenres of hardstyle, so they share the roughly 150 BPM tempo, the reverse bass and the build-breakdown-drop structure. Euphoric hardstyle leans on soaring melodies, vocals and singalong drops for an emotional payoff. Rawstyle strips the melody back and focuses on brutally distorted kicks, aggressive screeches and dark atmospheres for raw impact. The blend of the two is called rawphoric.
Side by side
| Rawstyle | Euphoric Hardstyle | |
|---|---|---|
| Parent genre | Hardstyle | Hardstyle |
| Typical BPM | Around 150 | Around 150 |
| Kick | Heavily distorted, the main event | Firm but sits under the melody |
| Melody | Minimal, tension over release | Central, uplifting, often vocal |
| Mood | Dark, aggressive, cinematic | Euphoric, emotional, singalong |
| Took shape | Counter-movement, early 2010s | Hardstyle's melodic wing from around 2010 |
| At the extreme | Xtra raw (more distorted) | Rawphoric (raw kicks, euphoric melody) |
| Defining artists | Radical Redemption, Warface | Headhunterz, D-Block & S-te-Fan |
Same engine, opposite goals
Both keep hardstyle's 150 BPM kick and reverse bass, so the difference is what they do with the space between drops. Euphoric softens the kick outside the drop to make room for chords, arpeggios and vocals. Rawstyle keeps the kick front and centre and treats its design as the main creative work.
Put another way: euphoric treats the kick as the engine under a song, while rawstyle treats the kick as the star of the show.
A scene that split in two
From around 2010, hardstyle leaned ever harder into melody in what became the euphoric anthem era, defined by Headhunterz, Wildstylez, Brennan Heart and D-Block & S-te-Fan. Rawstyle took shape in the early 2010s as a deliberate counter-movement, with labels like Minus Is More and the festival Supremacy built around the harder sound. Both now have their own rosters and festival slots.
Rawphoric: the middle ground
Rawphoric blends raw kicks with euphoric melodies, and at the far end xtra raw pushes distortion to its extreme. Many artists move freely across the whole spectrum, which is why rawstyle and euphoric releases both flow into the same Hardstyle Release Radar.
The artists on each side
Euphoric Hardstyle
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HDRR tracks every new release across the whole hard dance scene. Follow the radars to catch each new track the day it hits Spotify, or the Top 100 charts for what is streaming biggest right now.
Questions,answered
What is the difference between rawstyle and euphoric hardstyle?
Both are subgenres of hardstyle at the same roughly 150 BPM tempo. Euphoric hardstyle leans on uplifting melodies, vocals and singalong drops, while rawstyle focuses on distorted kicks, screeches and dark atmospheres. Euphoric goes for emotional lift, rawstyle goes for impact.
Is rawstyle a type of hardstyle?
Yes. Rawstyle is the darker, harder subgenre of hardstyle that emerged in the Netherlands in the early 2010s. It keeps hardstyle's tempo and reverse bass but trades euphoric melodies for aggressive kicks and screeches.
What is rawphoric?
Rawphoric is the middle ground between the two: it uses rawstyle's harder, distorted kicks together with euphoric melodies and emotional breakdowns, so it delivers both impact and lift in one track.
Do rawstyle and euphoric hardstyle share the same BPM?
Yes. Both sit around 150 BPM on the same reverse bass foundation. The difference is tone and kick design, not tempo.
Who are the biggest rawstyle and euphoric artists?
On the raw side, Radical Redemption, Warface, D-Sturb and Act of Rage. On the euphoric side, Headhunterz, Brennan Heart, Wildstylez and D-Block & S-te-Fan, with Da Tweekaz and Atmozfears among the newer wave.