History Main / GenreBusting

->''"Life isn't divided into genres. It's a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you're lucky."''
-->-- '''Creator/AlanMoore'''

* ''Film/{{Nope}}'' is a Main/Western action-adventure mixed with a [[FlyingSaucer UFO]] horror [[spoiler: with TheReveal that the UFO is actually an animal, thus making it more of a traditional monster movie,]] while also having elements of SurrealHorror with some of the shots and drama with the human characters’ story.

* ''Film/TheRoom'' is ''supposed'' to be a romance melodrama of some kind, but its incredibly SoBadItsGood quality practically makes it a comedy, especially since Creator/TommyWiseau gave it a ParodyRetcon. There are those who actually view as an exercise in avant-garde surrealist cinema, albeit unintentional, considering the bizarre script and character relationships. There's even a camp that just places it in the "genre" of "Bad Movie" (if that could even be a genre).

* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' is a comic book movie that is also considered something a "video game movie" as well as an action-adventure love story.

* ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'' is a SliceOfLife story, mixed [[YuriGenre lesbian romantic comedy]], [[TheSyndicate crime drama]], and on occasion a ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' parody.
* ''ComicBook/Ronin1983'' is a mixture of fantasy, CyberPunk, [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] action comic with a dose of TimeTravel for good measure.
* ''ComicBook/{{Grimjack}}'' covers a whole lot of genres. Its protagonist is a cross between [[Literature/TheMalteseFalcon Sam Spade]] and Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian who lives in a city at the center of the multiverse populated by, among other things, humans, robots, talking animals, ghosts, and vampires. Magic works in some parts of the city, technology in others, some places have both and others neither. Ostrander said he was inspired by ''Series/DoctorWho'''s ability to tell any kind of story it wanted, which is true of ''Grimjack'' without it being very much like ''Doctor Who'' at all.
* ''ComicBook/WildCATsWildStorm'': While ''Wild C.A.T.s Version 3.0'' is technically a {{superhero}} comic, there aren't many super-heroics, and the titular team isn't even assembled until the last story arc. It is also very philosophical, topics ranging from questioning if a corporation can be truly good, to how far people will go to maintain the status quo or adapt to new situations.
* At first blush, ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' is a pretty standard samurai story. Albeit one starring an anthropomorphic bunny. Then the ghosts and ghouls start showing up, then it veers into a pure detective story, then slice-of-life, almost {{Edutainment|Show}}, in/about Shogunate Japan, and even tragedy raw enough to draw tears. It's an interesting series.

* ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'' is basically what happens when you mix a FurryComic with a military drama, some slice of life stuff, [[UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} lots of existential ranting]], socio-political machinations, tragedy, a SpaceOpera with some [[spoiler:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''-levels of CosmicHorrorStory]], [[LovecraftLite albeit in reduced scale]], and some PostCyberpunk added on it.

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' is a FilmNoir RaygunGothic [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]]/[[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]/[[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] ScienceFiction {{Cyberpunk}} Political AlternateHistory {{Deconstruction}} of superheroes that invented half the tropes used by modern comics, and quite a few others besides. Phew!

* ''ComicBook/NewGods'' is an attempt to make a superhero comic that's also a generational, non-episodic, modern-day epic mythical cycle. {{Mythopoeia}} had been done before, but this was probably the first time it had ever been attempted in something that looked like- and was sold alongside- superhero comic books.
* ''ComicBook/TheGoon'' is one-part Pulp Horror, one-part BlackComedy, one-part UrbanFantasy, one-part Crime Noir, and one-part AffectionateParody of all of the above.

* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': TheMafia + Immortality + Alchemy by way of Creator/QuentinTarantino, done by a ''Japanese'' author. Its SpiritualSuccessor ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' takes Genre Busting even further by featuring students, gangs, mythology, mad scientists, Japanese horror and ''Anonymous'', just to name a few. It seems on the surface to primarily be a sort of mystery/thriller with a bit of action thrown in, but it's also got a not-insignificant amount of slice-of-life often by way of... interesting characters (like an Irish faerie who lives in a high-class Tokyo apartment), but in a way the best single descriptor for it might actually be a romance deconstruction. With some reconstruction later on. And not in any way that one would normally think of a romance being.
* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is a comed- well, a bit, maybe, but it's mainly an action... Hang on, there's not much of that either. Okay, so it's a harem... no, not quite. Romance...? Well, the main character has a love interest, but that's not the focus of the story. If there were a genre for it, it would have to be called "Dialogue and {{Mind Screw}}]". The story adds several elements of Japanese folklore and ghost stories, too.

* ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' is a mix of romance, horror, UrbanFantasy, murder mystery, and action.

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'': MagicalGirl Action Horror Thriller Harem Comedy. With ninja (plural).

** ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' is an action/adventure/superhero/spy thriller/sci-fi/fantasy family dramedy satire with ''[[StuffBlowingUp explosions.]]''

* ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}''. At heart the various series are {{Police Procedural}}s... that involve HumongousMecha used mostly in [[RealRobotGenre civilian construction applications]]. It also has significant SliceOfLife and WorkCom elements, with the protagonists being a RagtagBunchOfMisfits who spend a significant chunk of their time screwing around and waiting for something interesting to happen.

* Music/{{Metallica}} started out as one of the inventors of ThrashMetal. They have since moved to a more Progressive Metal style with bits of Traditional Heavy Metal, Nu Metal, Grunge and Alternative Metal (''Black Album'' through ''St. Anger''), with stops at PowerBallad ("The Unforgiven"), Irish Folk Music ("[[CoveredUp Whiskey in the Jar]]"), Blues ("Low Man's Lyric"), Country Music ("Mama Said") and Orchestral Metal (both ''S&M'' albums/concerts). For a while, even they weren't sure what they were. As of ''Death Magnetic'', they seem to be a Progressive Thrash Metal band, with ''Lulu'', they became AvantGardeMetal before going back to prog-thrash since ''Hardwired.
. To Self-Destruct''.

* Music/{{Metallica}} started out as one of the inventors of ThrashMetal. They have since moved to a more Progressive Metal style (''Black Album'' through ''St. Anger''), with stops at PowerBallad ("The Unforgiven"), Irish Folk Music ("[[CoveredUp Whiskey in the Jar]]"), Blues ("Low Man's Lyric") and Orchestral Metal (the entire ''S&M'' album/concert). For a while, even they weren't sure what they were. As of ''Death Magnetic'', they seem to be a Progressive Thrash Metal band.

Compare GenreMashup, when a work combined existing genres. Also compare {{Postmodernism}} (playing around with a genre) and JustForFun/XMeetsY (creating new genre out of two old ones). 90% of the time, you will find MindScrew within them, with the other 10% [[WidgetSeries just]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs weird]]. Compare and contrast GenreKiller. For a character see NinjaPirateZombieRobot. However, there's a lot of overlap; those who play heavily into mixing genres end up being very difficult to classify.

* ''Film/Mandy2018'' is a very atmospheric, moody, [[SceneryPorn gorgeously shot]] and [[MindScrew bizarre]] movie that could be accurately described as psychedelic-romance-revenge-horror-action thriller GenreThrowback. It's like the filmmaker watched some forgotten CultClassic from the 80s while on LSD, then made another film based on the [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs drug-fueled half-remembered recollections.]]

* ''Series/WandaVision'' is a WidgetSeries set in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse that combines 50s period piece sitcoms, drama, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, and action over the course of a nine-episode run, and often several times in the same episode. In short, the show wraps these different genres and styles up with a TrappedInTVLand storyline.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' is a superhero action cartoon whose animation is often more inspired by Creator/TexAvery or [[WidgetSeries the weirder side of]] {{Anime}} than anything in U.S. ComicBooks, yet often has very dark, dramatic storylines and, on a few occasions, will have an episode focus almost entirely on character interactions, with the obligatory supervillain battle relegated to a minor B-plot.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Shelter}}'', you play as a mother badger who guides her children around, forages for food for them, and avoids predators. It's not fast-paced enough to be action or mundane enough for simulation; most accurately, it's an atmospheric adventure.

* 90s-era British-developed licensed games (such as the SNES ''Toy Story'' and ''Back To The Future III'' and the infamous Amiga version of ''Akira'') are famed for having constant {{Genre Shift}}s in every level, making it hard to pin down what the actual defining genre of the game is.

Compare GenreMashup, when a work combined existing genres. Also compare FromClonesToGenre, {{Postmodernism}} (playing around with a genre) and JustForFun/XMeetsY (creating new genre out of two old ones). 90% of the time, you will find MindScrew within them, with the other 10% [[WidgetSeries just]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs weird]]. Compare and contrast GenreKiller. For a character see NinjaPirateZombieRobot. However, there's a lot of overlap; those who play heavily into mixing genres end up being very difficult to classify.

%% * Music/{{Queen}}: Both individual songs and their discography as a whole.

* [[Music/{{Gorillaz}} Speaking of gorillas...]] Gorillaz also blends rock, hiphop, reggae, pop and other influences together.

** Japanese kawaii metal band LADYBABY defies easy classification, as it's a band that wholeheartedly embraces kawaii culture and blurs grindcore and its screaming vocals and lightning riffs, J-pop and its upbeat, heavily electronic beats and hooks, lyrics that are safe for fairly young children, and an aesthetic that has the band dressing like Sailor Moon knock-offs. The three fronts for the band wear supremely cute lolli-inspired outfits. Two of them, Rie Kaneko and Rei Kuromiya, are 19 and 16 year old Japanese females (as of 2016), while the third, Rick Magarey, is a bearded Australian cross-dressing professional wrestler in his early thirties - and he's the one with pig tails. Kaneko and Kuromiya deliver their vocals with the perky, high, very feminine sound you expect from the poppiest of J-pop while Magarey delivers his vocals with a scream you might expect from grindcore bands like Music/NapalmDeath or Brutal Truth. It's a strange mix best experienced for oneself, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhT2-oX5kzk so here's a link to one of their songs on their official YouTube channel]].

* {{Goth}}-rock legends Music/{{Bauhaus}} certainly were the UrExample of the genre, but there's no single way to quite describe their sound... Their original single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", so utterly defied description that "[You'd] find it in one music store under punk, and in another under reggae, and in others as jazz, pop/rock, psychedelic, and pretty much anything else you can imagine," (paraphrasing David J, the band's bassist). The rest of their work was equally so confusing- you could hear reggae ("Exquisite Corpse"), funk ("Watch that Grandad Go"), disco ("Kick in the Eye 2"), glam (they covered Music/DavidBowie's "Ziggy Stardust"), jazz ("Party in the First Part"), punk (Music/BrianEno's "Third Uncle"), prog ("Silent Hedges"), Music/JoyDivision style post-punk (John Cale's "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores"), and endless other things... and yet, at the same time, all of their songs definitely sounds like ''them'' and only them.

** His [[VitriolicBestBuds childhood buddy and sometimes-bandmate]] Music/CaptainBeefheart was similar but ''totally defied all musical convention''. To the unaccustomed ear, something like "Ella Guru" from ''Music/TroutMaskReplica'' sounds like ear rape, but with time [[FridgeBrilliance one begins to realize the genius in such works as that.]]

* Music/TheBeachBoys/ Brian Wilson's legendary unfinished ''Music/{{Smile|TheBeachBoys}}'' album can be described as a Psychedelic Doo-Wop/ Rock Barbershop Quartet recorded in distinct modules. But you should also add Americana to the mix. And several classical influences, from Bach to Stravinsky and Schoenberg. And some Varèse thrown in at good measure as pertaining to tape experiments. And Phil Spector's production methods (although more nuanced than his Wall of Sound) , folk, classical choir arrangements , circus music, impressionist music, jazz, musique concréte (and in the case of Vega-Tables, this is taken literally), the American-centered compositions of Gershwin, baroque pop, Yodelling and ragtime (along many more), all meant to achieve a "Teenage Symphony to God" that sounds like an ever-flowing painting by a Disney cartoon. One should also mention Smiley Smile, the substitute to the aforementioned album, after its infamous cancelation. Attempting to describe its minimalistic miasma of weirdness and near cynical self-deprecation is almost a disservice to it. Songs like Wind Chimes must be heard to be believed (in stereo is the recommended option).

* ''Literature/ASymphonyOfEternity'' is a {{Space Opera}}/{{High Fantasy}}/{{Black Comedy}} meta-fictional delight. The books follow galactic war fought in a universe where magic instead of technology is used, it contains elements of military sf, {{Literature/Discworld}} like humour, {{Literature/Flashman}}esque protagonits with bits of [[ComicBook/TheSandman Sandman]]-like meta-fiction, [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecratian Horror]], historical fiction and use of many examples of FictionalDocument[=s=] for WorldBuilding and [[Creator/LeoTolstoy Tolstoy]] quality level of suffering and existentialism and nihilism, with a dash of optimism and hope for the future, all the while being a {{Deconstruction}} and {{Reconstruction}} of itself all at the same time. And it is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools GLORIOUS!]]

* ''Anime/HaruhiSuzumia'': This comedy show steals aspects from high school slice of life shows, fantasy, and sci-fi settings by having several of its core cast members be supernatural entities attending a high school.

* ''[[http://www.rrrrthats5rs.com/games/dont-shoot-the-puppy/ Don't Shoot the Puppy]]'' doesn't fit into any genres of video games; in fact, it's barely a video game at all as you will trigger a sentry gun shooting a puppy if you so much as move the mouse, regardless of distractions like [[spoiler:messages that it's okay to move the mouse and the puppy seemingly stopping[[note]]there is exactly one point where it really is okay to move the mouse, which is when the puppy walks behind the gun. The gun will still go off, but the puppy won't get hit.[[/note]]]]. As an extra [[ClassicVideoGameScrewYous middle finger to the player]], [[spoiler:''not'' moving the mouse after one level can cause the game to time out]].

* Bong Joon Ho's ''Film/TheHost'' tells a sharp, poignant, and darkly comedic satire of Korean politics by being a family drama, a BlackComedy, a horror film, and a kaiju movie all into one.

* ''Film/{{Inception}}'' turns a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind into an [[InvertedTrope inverted]] [[TheCaper heist film.]]

* ''Anime/TheMeloncholyOfHaruhiSuzumia'': This comedy show steals aspects from high school slice of life shows, fantasy, and sci-fi settings by having several of its core cast members be supernatural entities attending a high school.

* ''Anime/TheMeloncholyOfHaruhiSusumia'': This comedy show steals aspects from high school slice of life shows, fantasy, and sci-fi settings by having several of its core cast members be supernatural entities attending a high school.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is a little bit of sci-fi, comedy, mystery, romance, and slice of life in a highschool setting.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is a comed- well, a bit, maybe, but it's mainly an action... Hang on, there's not much of that either. Okay, so it's a harem... no, not quite. Romance...? Well, the main character has a love interest, but that's not the focus of the show. If there were a genre for it, it would have to be called "Dialogue, {{Mind Screw}}, and [[Creator/StudioShaft SHAFT]]". The entire show is based in folklore and ghost stories, too.

* ''LightNovel/CatPlanetCuties'': About half fairly standard ecchi romance/comedy. The other half is a thriller.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'': TheMafia + Immortality + Alchemy by way of Creator/QuentinTarantino, done by a ''Japanese'' author. Its SpiritualSuccessor ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' takes Genre Busting even further by featuring students, gangs, mythology, mad scientists, Japanese horror and ''Anonymous'', just to name a few. It seems on the surface to primarily be a sort of mystery/thriller with a bit of action thrown in, but it's also got a not-insignificant amount of slice-of-life often by way of... interesting characters (like an Irish faerie who lives in a high-class Tokyo apartment), but in a way the best single descriptor for it might actually be a romance deconstruction. With some reconstruction later on. And not in any way that one would normally think of a romance being.

* ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' is a mix of romance, horror, UrbanFantasy, murder mystery, and action.
* Have fun listing ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' as a single genre of anime. Set in a fantasy world, it includes comedy, action, and large amounts of drama...often into a single episode!

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'': MagicalGirl Action Horror Thriller Harem Comedy. With ninja (plural).

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is a love story in a sci-fi setting, with harem, medieval fantasy, mythology, detective fiction and post-apocalypse in between.

* ''Film/{{Nope}}'' is a Main/Western action-adventure mixed with a [[FlyingSaucer UFO]] horror [[spoiler: with TheReveal it's UFO is actually an animal, and it's a more traditional monster movie,]]while also having elements of SurrealHorror with some of the shots and drama with the human characters story.