dubstep

Etymology

dub + 2-step garage.

noun

1. A subgenre of electronic dance music descended from 2-step garage that was popular in the early 2010s, characterized by its dark mood, sparse half-step and two-step rhythms, and emphasis on sub-bass.
   "Genres are so boring," said Scotsman Broon, one-half of the tech-house duo, as he scanned the cover of XLR8R magazine hyping "Dubstep" while shopping at Etherea record store. July 16 2002, Tricia Romano, “Electro Trash”, in Village Voice
   ...of course, a lot of grime producers and dubstep producers freely admit to FL being their primary tool, and the software is increasingly being used... 2006, Mary Gaitskill, Daphne Carr, Da Capo Best Music Writing 2006
   ...reflect broader class strategies within English society, and the same can be said for more recent genre mutations such as dubstep and grime. 2007, Michael E Veal, Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae
   Acid house, hard-core, drum 'n' bass, UK garage, grime, and dubstep are just a handful of now worldwide underground movements that developed in this way. 2008, Matt Mason, The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism
   But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days). June 26, 2012, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The Onion AV Club