What is "happy hardcore"

n. A genre of rave music typified by a very fast tempo and a bright, cheerful sound, often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics.

Happy hardcore, also known as happy rave or happycore, is a genre of hard dance typified by a very fast tempo (usually around 160–180 BPM), often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in a major key. In its original incarnation, it was often characterized by piano riffs, synthetic stabs and spacey effects. This genre of music is closely related to the typically Dutch genre of gabber. Happy hardcore evolved from breakbeat hardcore around 1991–1993, as the original house music-based rave became faster and began to include breakbeats, evolving into oldschool jungle which evolved into drum and bass. Some of the most famous artists of this genre include DJ Brisk, Scott Brown, Darren Styles, Hixxy, DJ Paul Elstak, Dune, Scooter, Stu Allan (aka VISA), Dougal, Slipmatt, DJ Sharkey, DJ Gammer, DJ Cammy and DJ S3RL.

Happy hardcore is a genre of hardcore techno music emerging around 1991–1993.

Happy hardcore may also refer to:

• Our Happy Hardcore, an album by German dance group Scooter
• 4-beat, a breakbeat style of music that emerged around 1993