My son (and I gather most of the students in his grade) was into classic rock. Apparently, they all felt that then-current popular music kinda sucked.
I’ve let my kids bring me into their music many many times. Some of it I like, some I don’t but I will listen to anything sometimes. I’ve never once told them it was bad, dirty, not music or anything like that.
My daughter loves Steam Powered Giraffe. Some of their songs aren’t bad.
I think Eminem is one of the top five rappers named after candy.
Now? I don’t know what my 20-something listens to now. I can list some names, I know Boards of Canada, some rap or hiphop like Pit Bull, various oddball Eastern European and Russian bands, and ‘weather channel music’, which is smooooooove jazz. She used to be into Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, 9 Inch Nails, and Rammstein. (Before that she liked my music well enough, and I swear she took my Duran Duran and Led Zep CD’s).
Parents who shared their music—what was the arc like? The four-year-old Dudeling love the Grateful Dead, Keller Williams, Galactic, Beats Antique and so on. We take him to live music when it’s venue-appropriate (few festivals, Parliament, etc.). Our tastes ate pretty eclectic, but mostly in the jammy/complex vein. We don’t ban kis music but he seems to react to MMW’s kids album better than the basic wheels on the bus. Anyone out there never drift away from their kids?
My daughter and I like a lot of the same stuff, but there are also some areas we disagree on. She is a big fan of Radio Head and I just can’t enjoy them at all, while I like some Korn and she dislikes them. But we both like Adele and Mumford and Sons.
I’m 57 and she is 35 (today!)
Not a parent, but a few years ago my teenaged niece introduced me to Peter Fox. I bought his CD shortly after that.
I’m 52, and my tastes in music solidified (some might say stagnated) decades ago. I listen to all kinds of music, but I tend to listen to classic rock, especially metal and prog rock of the Seventies.
Around 1995, I found myself ALMOST completely unfamiliar with current pop/top 40 music. And since I never had much use for rap or dance music, I didn’t feel like I was missing much.
Since I have a 10 year old son, however, I now hear a lot more current pop than I had in years. My son is very much into contemporary hip hop and electronic dance music. That kind of thing will NEVER be my favorite stuff, but I like some of it, and can tolerate most of it.
If nothing else, I can at least recognize all the current hits and know who all the current popular acts are, which I definitely could NOT say 5 years ago. A few years ago, if you’d handed me the Billboard Top 40, I’d probably have struggled to find any artists or songs I recognized. I’m not so clueless now.
My 10 year old plays guitar in a band and they play my kind of music - mostly Black Keys some Nirvana, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Beatles.
Will have to wait for him to start getting his music from external sources to see but, for now, he’s on a right track 
A lot of it. It’s not that much different from music in the 70s and 80s - more hip hop, obviously, but not really all that different. (BTW, daughter is 12yo and is fully in the pop music phase of her life.)
Madonna or Lady Gaga? Neither, it’s Lana Del Rey.
Earth, Wind, and Fire? Nah, it’s Daft Punk with the biggest hit of the summer.
Prince and Michael Jackson in a mashup of 80s musical styles? Naw, just Robin Thicke.
In addition, kids these days are FAR more knowledgeable about music from 30-40 years ago than they were in my day. I was just at a soccer game the other day and a bunch of teenage boys were singing “Band on the Run”… which would have been the equivalent of me and my friends belting out some “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” back in 1982.
I do when it will piss them off…
Sure, Sesame Street has some great tunes. I also really like the one from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood about not waiting to go to the potty.
That’s kind of my hope. Get him involved in the *music *side of things young, get an instrument in his hands, then hope that whichever direction his tastes grow there’ll be an underlying interest in quality irrespective of genera.
“When you have to go potty, STOP / and go right away / flush and wash and be on your way!”
Yeah, I have a 1.5-year-old. I also once chatted up a neighboring family at a restaurant when I recognized they game they were playing while waiting on their food as being from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (kid covers his eyes, you remove an item from the table, kid opens eyes and tries to guess what is missing).
No, I cannot listen to their music at all.
I agree about the earbuds thing, on the drive to school in the morning have to remind them to take them out if before I drop them off.
Son- 17 - listens to 2Chainz, Kanye, Jay Z and Rick Ross
Daughter-14- listens to Asking Alexandra (I think that’s what they’re called), Black Veil Brides, Panic at the Disco and a bunch of other bands that have guys in dark clothing, occasionally screaming.
I occasionally listen to some of the EDM stuff my stepson listens too. I’ll even work out to Skrillex–good beats, keeps you going. Of course, I’ll also listen to the music he puts together…when his perfectionist nature relents enough for him to let me.
She also, like me, loves ABBA and the Chad Mitchell Trio. And she’s the one who introduced me to Les Miserables.
He’s right about Soulja, but he’s triflin if he really thinks that Waka Flocka Flame is a joke. Just sayin.
I can’t defend you daughter, but I’m sure they’re playing all the most “ignant” songs from those artists. I think you should at least give “Devil In a New Dress” a listen from Mr. West and Mr. Ross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ejqE3ktFU
Pretty much all he listens to is soundtracks from anime, and most of that is quite tolerable.