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1->''"''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' is equivalent to the Big Bang of our gaming universe. If it were not for this blindingly spectacular creation, digital entertainment as we know it today would not exist."''
2-->-- '''Creator/HideoKojima''', ''Magazine/NintendoPower, November 2010''
3
4Basically, before these works came along, a genre either didn't exist, or was niche. After these works hit the scene, either the genre [[FollowTheLeader became popular]] (usually by being a GatewaySeries to the rest), or we got loads of ripoffs which may or may not have become their own genre later on.
5
6Heck, these works might instead create a GenreRelaunch of a [[PopularityPolynomial once popular genre]] (whether or not the popularity lasts).
7
8Being a Genre Popularizer is ''not'' proof that a work is awesome. Some might think these works are overrated, and if NostalgiaGoggles or QualityByPopularVote are in play, they may even be right. Being an example of this ''only'' speaks to the response it gets in FollowTheLeader works, not to its quality.
9
10'''Please Note:''' while some Genre Popularizers are also Trope Makers or Codifiers, [[Administrivia/SquarePegRoundTrope not all Trope Makers and Codifiers are Genre Popularizers]]. Keep this in mind when adding examples--just because it was the first to use a trope doesn't mean it made the trope popular.
11
12Compare TropeMakers, TropeCodifier, GenreTurningPoint.
13
14Contrast GenreKiller.
15----
16!!Examples:
17
18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
21* ''Manga/AstroBoy'' (a.k.a. ''Tetsuwan Atomu'') launched anime itself. Tezuka is an interesting case, in that his works encompass so many genres, that imitators had to figure out ''which Tezuka to imitate'', which resulted in the rather large amount of diversity in anime and manga (also helping stave off the AnimationAgeGhetto in Japan). In short, Tezuka is the reigning king of this trope.
22* ''Manga/SailorMoon'' made the MagicalGirlWarrior type of MagicalGirl into a genre (even though ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' [[UrExample came first]]). It's gotten to the point that it's almost the ''only'' type of magical girl show you see licensed for release in America nowadays.
23* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', though far from the first of its kind, popularized the Yonkoma [[SliceOfLife Slice of high school girls life]] [[SchoolgirlSeries series]], especially outside of Japan.
24* Once upon a time, every {{Mon}}s show was ripping off either ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' or ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' (which shows how diverse the genre was from the get-go). Now it's par for the course.
25* Once upon a time, we called them ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' ripoffs. Now we call them {{Real Robot|Genre}} shows.
26** 7 years before Gundam was first aired, ''Anime/MazingerZ'' did the same othing for {{Super Robot|Genre}} shows.
27** And ''Manga/GetterRobo'' popularized the CombiningMecha.
28** And ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' the TransformingMecha.
29* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' popularized the HaremGenre. Before that, there was ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''.
30* ''Franchise/DragonBall'' popularized the FightingSeries as we recognize it, focused on developing as a fighter and the triumph of JapaneseSpirit. Both ''Franchise/OnePiece'' and ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' pay homage to ''Dragon Ball'' with their [[StockShonenHero main characters]].
31* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' popularized the MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction. Until it, the SubGenre wasn't seen as distinct from MagicalGirl.
32* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' was not necessarily the first SpaceOpera anime, nor necessarily the first SpaceIsAnOcean anime, but it catapulted the genre & aesthetic into such ubiquity that "Life on a Fantastical Battleship" as a setting is one of the most ubiquitous in sci-fi & fantasy anime.
33* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'' inspired a wave of manga and anime about {{Cute Monster Girl}}s, usually paired with human guys.
34[[/folder]]
35
36[[folder:Comic Books]]
37* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' for FrancoBelgianComics.
38* The series, ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'' and its idea of primarily serious FunnyAnimal stories for adults was so distinctive that it had its own newsgroup, "alt.fan.albedo". Now it's recognized as the first of the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom genre.
39* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' launched the [[{{Superhero}} super-powered hero]] genre into the mainstream.
40* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' were this for the "[[DarkerAndEdgier Grim 'n Gritty]]" works of [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the late 80's and early 90's]].
41* Despite Marvel's ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' debuting earlier, DC's ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' proved to have a [[TropeCodifier much greater impact on the creation and evolution]] of the CrisisCrossover.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Film]]
45* Though not the first lurking-killer film, the success of Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' kicked off the SlasherMovie of the 80s and 90s. Many tropes of the subgenre can be traced to Michael Myers' first rampage.
46* ''[[Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior]]'' sparked the whole ScavengerWorld genre.
47* ''Film/{{Lethal Weapon|1987}}'' for the {{Buddy Cop|Show}} action subgenre.
48* ''Franchise/StarWars'', alongside ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', is credited for starting the SummerBlockbuster.
49* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' proved that HighFantasy could successfully and seriously be adapted for the big screen, despite severe doubts. ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' tries more or less to copy the success of the movies with all the references despite taking place on a different continuity.
50* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' was the first proof that a comic book-based film could be serious, popular, ''and'' good.
51* The ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' ushered in the modern era of comic book film as mainstream, effects-heavy blockbusters.
52* Although it wasn't the first movie about a giant rampaging animal, the 1954 film ''Film/{{Gojira}}'' was successful enough to launch the {{Kaiju}} film genre.
53* ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' invented the idea of [[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombies]] as cannibalistic, undead monsters that [[TheVirus recruit their victims into their ranks]]. In doing so, it also popularized the concept of the ZombieApocalypse, even if it wasn't the first work to use it (that would be Creator/RichardMatheson's ''Literature/IAmLegend'', which used vampires, and indeed served as inspiration for Creator/GeorgeARomero).
54* Although [[GermanExpressionism Expressionism]] had been a popular art style in Germany for years prior, ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', with its [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} wild sets]], UnreliableNarrator, and focus on cinematically recreating a character's unstable state of mind, sparked many of the ideas associated with German Expressionism as a film genre.
55* Two of the very first films to tell a complete story unwittingly created new genres. ''Film/ATripToTheMoon'' (1902) was the first science fiction movie ever made and brought the idea of space exploration to the big screen. ''Film/{{The Great Train Robbery|1903}}'' (1903) introduced us to TheWestern.
56* Creator/SergioLeone's "Film/DollarsTrilogy," most famously ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', popularized the SpaghettiWestern genre.
57* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' prompted a new wave of Disney musicals, desperately needed by the company after being stomped during most of the 80s by the work of Creator/DonBluth.
58* More for medium than genre, but ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' was the first [[AllCGICartoon All CGI film]], and it was far more popular than Disney's film released the same year, ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}''. This shifted film studios' preference to [=3D=] animation and, by less than a decade later, made theatrical [=2D=] animation nearly extinct.
59* ''Film/TheCraft'' really helped boost the popularity of the UrbanFantasy genre and DarkFantasy aimed at teens; while these genres existed prior to the film, they were pretty niche. The popularity skyrocketed following the success of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Series/Charmed1998'', which first aired in 1997 and 1998, respectively, while ''The Craft'' was released in 1996 (the latter was actually directly inspired by ''The Craft'').
60* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' ended up popularizing an all-too-common trend of CGI movies that are [[WorldOfSnark full of snark]] with [[CelebrityVoiceActor celebrity voice actors]] out the wazoo and [[ParentalBonus modern pop cultural references]] everywhere. However, the genre developed a backlash and [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] decided to lead the charge in reviving [[GenreThrowback 90's-style animated musicals]] with ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''. That said, ''Tangled'' was [[NeverTrustATrailer advertised]] as a ''Shrek'' knock-off...
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Literature]]
64* Creator/WilliamGibson launched the [[PunkPunk Cyberpunk]] genre with the novel ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}''. It is now a staple of film, games, and odd urban fashions.
65* Creator/WilliamGibson and Creator/BruceSterling co-authored ''Literature/TheDifferenceEngine'', which launched the SteamPunk genre.
66* ''Literature/TheRiddleOfTheSands'' is this for SpyFiction.
67* ''Magazine/AmazingStories'', the first English-language ScienceFiction PulpMagazine, created and popularized the genre. (The slightly earlier American pulp ''Weird Tales'' published general fantastic fiction: ScienceFiction, ghost stories, horror fiction, et cetera.)
68* Creator/EdgarAllanPoe wrote the first English-language detective stories. Creator/ArthurConanDoyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) once said "Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has developed.... Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?" Although Poe's detective uses several early forensic techniques, this aspect of the genre didn't fully kick off until...
69** The ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' series popularised the idea of the cerebral, aloof detective examining clues and forensic evidence in order to solve the mystery. The stories helped introduce the public to this new idea of ''studying clues and information to solve crimes'' rather than just asking people what they saw and shaking up suspects until a confession fell out. This was true not just in mystery stories, but in real life: the Metropolitan Police, frequently dismissed up until that point as an inept and corrupt force, began to improve in success rates and public reputation upon taking some cues from these stories.
70** Creator/DashiellHammett created and popularized the subgenre of "[[HardBoiledDetective hard-boiled]]" [[PrivateDetective detective]] fiction. While he didn't create the genre on his own, Hammett's works were among the first to be picked up by the public at large. Many of that genre's tropes originated or were made popular in his works, and later authors of hard-boiled fiction (notably Creator/RaymondChandler, author of the Literature/PhilipMarlowe novels) cite Hammett as the forefather of the genre.
71* The TrueCrime genre was created and popularized by Truman Capote in his harrowing magnum opus, ''In Cold Blood''. The true story of a vicious and senseless series of murders kicked off an interest in "real murder mysteries," and the genre remains startlingly popular today.
72* Creator/JRRTolkien is responsible for popularizing the HighFantasy genre. Despite Creator/JamesBranchCabell, [[Literature/TheWormOuroboros E. R. Eddison]], and Creator/PoulAnderson coming first, Tolkien was the gold that got cloned, and even he borrowed heavily from mythology.
73* Like Tolkien, Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' stories effectively created many of the now-popular HeroicFantasy tropes. Interestingly, it did this in large part by subverting many pulp fantasy tropes popular at the time.
74* ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by Creator/HGWells took an existing genre speculating about foreign armies invading the United Kingdom and gave it a twist by casting as the invaders a race of [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien highly intelligent alien beings]] invading Earth from another planet. This idea of an AlienInvasion proved somewhat influential.
75* The success of the ''Literature/{{Raffles}}'' and ''Literature/ArseneLupin'' stories in the 1890s and 1900s popularized the GentlemanThief character and heist stories; The Lupin stories are also considered the TropeCodifier.
76* Similarly, Creator/HGWells' novel about [[Literature/TheTimeMachine a man who built a machine capable of travelling through time]] got people interested as well. The idea of TimeTravel itself wasn't new; the idea of someone actually using technology to build a means of travelling forwards and backwards in time was, though.
77* Creator/EEDocSmith, and the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series, created SpaceOpera as we understand it. It is scary how much modern sci-fi writers in some cases outright ''stole'' from him, or copied without even knowing they had. To put it into perspective, reading the Lensman novels seems horribly cliche now, because every Sci-Fi trope associated with space operas came out of it ranging from inertialess drives, to Dyson Sphere megastructures, to the very ''idea'' of the "Neglectful Ancient Master Race" seen in...well every sci-fi series made since. In fact it is generally accepted that the [[Franchise/GreenLantern Green Lantern Corps]] is the Lensman Corps, top to bottom. They even have a member named Arisia, after the planet where the Lensmen went (their Oa) to undergo training to use their Cosmic Lenses (GL rings).
78* Creator/HPLovecraft popularized the CosmicHorrorStory, although "Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu", ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' and "Literature/TheWhispererInDarkness" stand out.
79* Creator/TomClancy effectively popularized the "military technothriller" genre, which is generally considered to have started with the Craig Thomas novel ''Firefox'', written seven years before ''Literature/TheHuntForRedOctober''.
80* Creator/HRiderHaggard effectively created the "Lost World" genre of adventure fiction with his 1885 novel ''Literature/KingSolomonsMines.'' Since then, the genre has proven enormously popular.
81* While not the first ever Isekai, ''Literature/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation'' popularized self-published original stories like it in Japan, even in the face of other giants on the site it was published on, Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and the conventions it popularized would be copied endlessly.
82* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' was one of the first LightNovels to receive an official English-language localization (albeit a very brief one, as Creator/VizMedia only ever released the first two volumes). Its popularity as such broke the dam for an explosion of them getting exported to Western markets in the late 2000s and 2010s, where previously only the anime and maybe manga adaptations usually were available in the West.
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
86* ''Series/ScarletHeart'' and ''Series/{{Palace}}'' popularised time travel dramas in China. Unfortunately, China's illogical and tyrannical censors responded to both series' popularity by banning time travel in dramas. Nowadays the ban is rarely enforced, but it was the reason ''Scarlet Heart 2'' is conspicuously missing time travel and is set entirely in the present day.
87* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and ''Series/LostInSpace'' were DuelingShows for a while, and BOTH helped shape the WagonTrainToTheStars genre as they became massive hits.
88* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'''s popularity in Japan was enough to spawn the MagicalGirl genre.
89* Although ''Series/TheRealWorld'' and ''Series/{{Cops}}'' came first, they did not define the RealityShow genre. These two ran for years prior to the introduction of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', but were not in a format that could easily be adapted to other subjects. ''Series/{{Survivor}}'''s format ''was'' easily adaptable, and it went on to define the most common form for {{Reality Show}}s.
90* ''Series/TheXFiles'' started a new trend of conspiracy and paranoia shows.
91* ''Series/HillStreetBlues'' introduced the idea of multiple, intertwining {{Story Arc}}s to prime time television series.
92* ''Series/BabylonFive'', along with ''Series/TheXFiles'', popularized the MythArc in live-action television series: ''Series/BabylonFive'' did it better, but it was ''Series/TheXFiles'' that took it mainstream.
93* ''Series/BigBrother'', while not the first RealityShow of its type, popularized it. It was itself based off ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', which was, itself, based on a ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 Twilight Zone]]'' episode from 1985.
94* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' popularized the ForensicDrama genre.
95* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' is a show about three guys at the bottom of the screen making comments about a movie they're watching. [[OlderThanTheyThink It came out before the Internet.]] [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes No wonder practically all of the episodes are on YouTube.]]
96* For one of the sub genres of the VarietyShow, the Korean variety show ''Muhan Dojeon'' (or Infinite Challenge), which started airing on MBC in [[LongRunner 2005 and is still going strong]], is one for the "Real Variety Show" subgenre, where in addition to the base tropes of a VarietyShow, the show adds in unscripted stunts, organised challenges and an all star cast from all walks of celebrity life, from traditional comedians, to singers, to even well known actors. This show arguably popularised this type of Variety, and set the base work for the wildly successful Korean show Series/RunningMan.
97* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'' did this for viking fiction, but especially on the screen. Through vikings has appeared irregularly in cinema, the ''Vikings''-series has defined how vikings are realized in modern cinema and more or less established the "viking movie" as a distinct genre with clear tropes and stylistic trappings: heavily tattooed vikings often dressing in Hells Angels-like leather clothing, a desaturated, moody look with green and blue being dominant, psychadelic imagery and magic realism, often in the form of visions. ''Vikings'' and several other films predating the series[note] ''Hammer of the Gods'', ''Vikings - The Berserkers'', ''A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day'', ''Sword of Vengeance'', ''Northmen: A Viking Saga''[/note] were inspired by the film ''Film/ValhallaRising'' that were the UrExample of using all of these elements. ''Vikings'' built on this and added elements like strange hair-styles, face-paint and using music heavily inspired by "Nordic Ambient". The popularity of ''Vikings'' [[TropeCodifier helped popularize this style]] cementing it's use in the portrayal of the viking age in films like ''Film/TheNorthman'', ''Film/{{Draug}}'', ''[[Film/Macbeth2015 Macbeth]]'' and games like ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'', ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'' and ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice''.
98** Also ''Vikings'' was a FollowTheLeader-show of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', but helped inspire a subgenre of Game of Thrones-esque shows that utilized real world history as it's basis to create shows to cash in on its success like ''Series/{{Britannia}}'' and ''Series/TheLastKingdom''.
99* ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' for the PrimeTimeSoap.
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Music]]
103* Music/GeneAutry: His work gave CountryMusic nationwide attention.
104* Music/BingCrosby created and popularized the 'crooning' style of singing. It helped that he emerged right when microphone technology was coming into its own. Thus, Bing set the standard for decades of singers to follow.
105* Music/ChuckBerry and RockAndRoll music.
106--> "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." ~Music/JohnLennon
107* Music/ElvisPresley smuggled RockAndRoll and other styles of African-American music over the race barrier and into the mainstream.
108* Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys created a distinctive sound that was picked up by other groups and became a genre, bluegrass.
109* Music/TheBeatles may not have been the first to do pop-rock and [[FolkMusic Folk Rock]], but they certainly jump-started the genre. They could also arguably be considered this for PsychedelicRock, album-based rock, and [[PunkRock Punk]] with songs like "Helter Skelter." Plus, they created the trend for a self-contained band, with the artists playing their own instruments and writing all of their own music. In a sense, they also started the idea of the "boy band", group of young male musicians. Unfortunately, this one led to a lot of bad music and ruined lives with some successes. A few of the Beatles ended up in tragic situations themselves.
110* Despite groups like Music/LedZeppelin and Music/{{Iron Butterfly|Band}} laying the groundwork for it a few years prior, Music/BlackSabbath is usually credited as the band that established the genre of HeavyMetal as we know it.
111* Music/{{Nirvana}} was the band who made the {{Grunge}} movement move up to full speed.
112* Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} did it for BluesRock in the 1960s. You could even make an argument that they invented and popularized HardRock, though Music/{{ACDC}}, who emerged in the 70s, is also a worthy candidate there.
113* Music/TheVelvetUnderground and Music/FrankZappa popularized AlternativeRock.
114* {{Music/Suede}}'s self-titled debut album may or may not have been the first {{Britpop}} record, but it was the first ''popular'' Britpop record and thus codified and fostered the genre. Ironically, the band think little of Britpop and have since tried to distance themselves from it.
115* While quite a few other bands and albums had come before it, Music/KingCrimson's debut ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' was arguably the first full ProgressiveRock album (rather than the more psychedelic sound that had come with the earlier bands), and laid the foundations for the genre.
116* Although the PostRock genre was codified in Music/{{Slint}}'s ''Spiderland,'' the genre as we recognize it wouldn't become popular ''per se'' until Music/SigurRos and Music/GodspeedYouBlackEmperor arrived on the scene.
117* British {{grindcore}} band Music/NapalmDeath (whose drummer actually coined the term "grindcore", along with the term "blastbeat", a drumbeat regularly used in the genre and beyond) are often heavily credited for their importance in the development of grindcore.
118* Norwegian band Music/{{Mayhem}}, and specifically their original guitarist Euronymous, are usually said to have created BlackMetal as we now know it.
119* The success of Music/{{Korn}} in the 1990s definitely kickstarted the rise of NuMetal.
120* Music/{{Rammstein}} are usually considered the codifiers and/or popularizers of Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness), which can best be described as a [[GenreMashup fusion genre]] of IndustrialMetal and {{Trance}} (the band describes their music as "dance metal"). The UrExample would be s Music/{{Oomph}}, who formed five years before Rammstein.
121* Music/JosephHaydn almost singlehandedly developed and popularized the sonata form and was the first big composer of the First Viennese School.
122* Similarly, Arnold Schoenberg was the godfather of the Second Viennese School.
123* Music/ClaudeDebussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" is said to be the work that ''truly'' began musical Impressionism.
124* Music/IceT did this for GangstaRap.
125* Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive helped to properly launch PoliticalRap. Before them were 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron.
126* Jokingly, Music/{{aha}} launched the new genre of 'Pof' during an interview in which the German interviewer badly flubbed the words 'synthetic pop of the eighties'. Moments later it became New Pof, much to Magne's surprise and delight.
127* Music/ThePogues blended Irish traditional music and punk as what became the first example of Celtic punk, a style taken up by Irish and Scottish inspired bands in both Britain and North America.
128* British band Music/{{Skyclad|Band}} began adding folk elements to their otherwise rather ordinary ThrashMetal, creating FolkMetal in the process.
129* Norwegian black metallers Music/{{Bathory}} switched out the over-used Satanic lyrical content of their compatriots for Myth/NorseMythology and history, creating and popularizing the thematic genre viking metal.
130* British rockers Music/{{Motorhead}} are widely recognised as one of the first bands to blend punk and heavy metal, creating what later became known as "SpeedMetal", the forerunner of ThrashMetal. Frontman [[IAmTheBand Lemmy Kilmister]] characteristically dismisses such labels, declaring that "it's all just rock and roll".
131* Music/TheRamones unintentionally created and popularized the PopPunk genre.
132* Music/{{Burzum}} pioneered atmospheric/ambient BlackMetal, although some have pointed out that a few scattered ambient black metal projects existed before Burzum, thus making him a codifier/popularizer rather than a creator.
133* {{Deathcore}} was initially popularized by Music/AllShallPerish, Music/JobForACowboy, and Music/DespisedIcon, then received a bigger mainstream boost from Music/SuicideSilence and Music/WhitechapelBand.
134* Music/RayCharles is generally considered to have launched {{Soul}}; the question is whether he did it with "I Got a Woman" or "What'd I Say."
135* ChristianRock is arguably more of a scene than a genre, but in either case, Larry Norman's 1969 album ''Upon This Rock'' was the launching point.
136* Country Pop, although existing from the late 1950s, really took off in the late 1970s with Music/KennyRogers and Music/DollyParton topping both country and pop charts at the same time.
137* There had been a smattering of {{Reggae}} songs that became hits in the UK and US in the late 60s and early 70s, but Jimmy Cliff and Music/BobMarley were the ones who really brought it out of Jamaica to a worldwide audience.
138* Music/LimpBizkit, who were discovered by Korn, both made RapMetal mainstream, and then killed it years later.
139* Music/KillswitchEngage, Music/ShadowsFall, Music/{{Trivium}}, Atreyu, and Music/AsILayDying popularized {{Metalcore}} (specifically the melodic kind) after NuMetal died out. Years later, Music/{{Issues}} popularized fusing metalcore with nu metal together with their debut EP to create what is referred to by fans as "nu-metalcore".
140* Music/DreamTheater is generally considered to have helped define the ProgressiveMetal genre, combining the speed and heaviness of ThrashMetal with the variety and musical complexity of ProgressiveRock.
141* Music/KlausSchulze's album ''Trancefer'' is often regarded as the album that really put {{Trance}} on the map among electronic music fans. As of the 2000s-2010s, however, Music/ArminVanBuuren and his [[LongRunner long-running]] radio show ''A State Of Trance'' are cited as the driving forces in bringing trance music into mainstream acceptance, ultimately [[FollowTheLeader inspiring several other]] trance-centered broadcasts such as Aly & Fila's ''Future Sound of Egypt'' and Music/FerryCorsten's ''Countdown''.
142* Music/PeterGabriel and Music/DavidByrne are credited with pulling this off twofold for WorldMusic: in 1980, Gabriel's ''Music/{{Melt}}'' and Music/TalkingHeads' ''Music/RemainInLight'' brought worldbeat to the mainstream forefront, while in 1989, Gabriel's ''Music/{{Passion}}'' and Byrne's solo album ''Music/ReiMomo'' popularized unfiltered world music itself in the west after worldbeat's decline, both times breaking the novelty stigma that was associated with nonwestern musical styles.
143* While SynthPop first rose to mainstream prominence with the commercial success of Music/GaryNuman's "Cars" in 1979, it was Music/TheHumanLeague's ''Music/{{Dare}}'' in 1981 (and especially its fourth single, "Don't You Want Me") that turned the genre into the defining musical movement of the early '80s, kickstarting the Second British Invasion in the US and popularizing synth-pop on both sides of the Pond.
144* Music/TheSugarhillGang's 1979 single "Rapper's Delight" is generally regarded by analysts as HipHop's BreakthroughHit, being the first song in the genre to reach the Top 40 in the US and paving the way for its rise during the '80s.
145* Music/BruceSpringsteen helped to popularize Heartland Rock in the late seventies and into the eighties with albums like ''Darkness On the Edge Of Town'' and ''Music/BornInTheUSA''. While he was not the first artist to write about blue-collar and working-class issues, his popularity and commercial success in the genre led to other artists receiving prominence and getting compared to him, ranging from contemporaries like Music/TomPetty and Music/JohnMellencamp to even artists who predated Springsteen like Music/BobSeger.
146* Music/HundredGecs's debut album ''Music/ThousandGecs'' is widely considered the defining album of what is now known as {{Hyperpop}}. While the subgenre had existed for a while as a niche field of experimental, [[PoesLaw post-ironic]] pop music, the viral and critical popularity of ''1000 gecs'' launched the sound into the internet consciousness, with the "hyperpop" name being attributed by Spotify following its success to codify artists of its sound to wider audiences.
147[[/folder]]
148
149[[folder:Pinball]]
150* While "pin games" existed before ''Pinball/BaffleBall,'' it was David Gottlieb's game that propelled the genre from a minor amusement novelty into a fundamental aspect of Americana. ''Baffle Ball's'' success came from a combination of challenge and affordability during TheGreatDepression; a ''Baffle Ball'' machine cost $17.50 to buy and cost only a penny to play, while competitors' machines cost over $100 and required a nickel to play. To put its popularity into perspective, Gottlieb's factory could produce 400 ''Baffle Ball'' machines a day - but he had '''75,000 orders''' to fill. The game's influence is so deep that many people misidentify ''Baffle Ball'' as the first {{Pinball}} ever made.
151* Before ''Pinball/HumptyDumpty'' came along, the only action a player could perform in a pinball game was to launch the ball and (gently) nudge the machine. ''Humpty Dumpty's'' novelty came from its six red "flipper bumpers," which allowed the player to kick the ball back up the field. This innovation ''instantly'' made flipperless games obsolete -- competitors rushed flipper add-on kits for existing machines, and flippers became an industry standard just six months later.
152[[/folder]]
153
154[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
155* ''Series/SpittingImage'' launched political puppet shows in numerous different countries, many of which are well-received amongst the audience.
156[[/folder]]
157
158[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
159* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' is responsible for creating the point buy system.
160* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' began as an offshoot of the miniature wargame ''Chainmail'' and became the first TabletopRPG, launching the genre. Unlike many other popularizers, it's still the alpha dog.
161* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' in 1993 popularized the {{collectible card game}}.
162* Tabletop wargames using miniature figures have existed for centuries, especially in the Prussian Army where they were used to train officers in tactics. It wasn't until Creator/HGWells published a book of rules called "Little Wars" (subtitled "[[ShortTitleLongElaborateSubtitle A Game for Boys From Twelve Years Of Age to One Hundred and Fifty, and for That More Intelligent Sort of Girl Who Likes Boys' Games and Books]]") in 1913, that the general populace got to play one. Even then, they weren't tremendously popular until Jack Scruby created his line of miniatures, which made the genre burgeon.
163* In the mid-1980s, ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'' popularised fantasy and science fiction settings, respectively, in {{Wargaming}}, which had previously been dominated by historical games.
164* ''TabletopGame/{{Dominion}}'' and the "deckbuilding game". ''Thunderstone'', ''Puzzle Strike'', ''Race for the Galaxy''... The list is large. There are also even upcoming licensed deckbuilding games based on ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl'', ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', and ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff since Japan seems to love the genre]]). While ''Dominion'' is still regarded as the best and most balanced of them, the others do all feel different and have many new mechanics, keeping the FollowTheLeader to a minimum.
165* ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan'' introduced Euro-board games to the United States.
166* ''TabletopGame/{{Pandemic}}'':
167** The original ''Pandemic'' demonstrated that board games could be strictly co-operative and accessible yet still provide an engaging and challenging puzzle with replay value. The number of co-operative board games on the market notably rose after its release.
168** ''Pandemic: Legacy'' popularized the LegacyBoardGame genre four years after ''TabletopGame/{{Risk}} Legacy'' (with which it shares a designer) invented it. The introduction of a strong narrative element was extremely well received and caused a rise in the number of legacy games being produced.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Theatre]]
172* ''Theatre/MammaMia'' sent the JukeboxMusical genre from an occasional curiosity to a sure-fire money maker. You can confirm this yourself by giving the genre's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox_musical Wikipedia page]] a quick look, and comparing the list of examples before and after ''Mamma Mia!''.
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Video Games]]
176* ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'' by Creator/{{Taito}} is the {{Trope Maker|s}} that launched the [[ShootEmUp shmup]] genre, with its vertical view still used in modern shoot 'em ups. In addition to popularizing the shooter and ActionGame genres, ''Space Invaders'' popularized the video game industry as a whole.
177* ''VideoGame/PacMan'' by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment defined and popularized the MazeGame genre.
178* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
179** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' by Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto defined the PlatformGame genre as we know it. Then...
180** ''VideoGame/{{Super Mario Bros|1}}'' defined the side-scrolling action platformer genre as we know it.
181** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' is the predecessor to almost every 3D platformer in existence. It also demonstrated to many people the WideOpenSandbox gameplay that could be done in 3D, which would be refined further with ''Grand Thef Auto III'' as described below.
182* ''VideoGame/PolePosition'' by Namco defined and popularized the RacingGame genre.
183* ''VisualNovel/ThePortopiaSerialMurderCase'' by Yuji Horii defined and popularized the VisualNovel style of AdventureGame.
184* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' by Yuji Horii defined and popularized the [[{{Eastern RPG}} console RPG]] style.
185* ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' popularized the graphic AdventureGame genre.
186* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' popularized the ActionAdventure and {{Action RPG}} genres (despite not being a true action [=RPG=]) as well as the WideOpenSandbox style.
187* Fighting games have existed since before the Atari, dating as far back as Sega's ''HeavyweightChamp'' in 1976, but it was ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' that finally got it right in 1991 and launched them as a genre.
188* While the FirstPersonShooter genre had predecessors, and ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' was the first popular example of the modern FPS concept, it was its SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' that really launched the genre, to the point that other games in the genre were simply called "''Doom''-clones" or "''Doom''-likes" until more innovative games needed a more neutral name to be coined.
189* ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' was certainly not the first artillery oriented game, but it is both the most well known and generally best designed of the bunch.
190* The smash-hit ASCII game ''VideoGame/{{Rogue}}'' from 1980 popularized the concept of randomly generated dungeons, and spawned enough spinoffs and ripoffs to boggle the mind. Even today, games of this genre are referred to as "{{Roguelike}}s".
191* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' is often credited to be the first game to popularize the "rogue-lite" genre, especially among the indie game scene.
192* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' for WideOpenSandbox {{Western RPG}}s. Starting with ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'' way back in 1994, ''TES'' was one of the few series to survive the genre crash in the late 90s. A massive NewbieBoom came along with ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' in 2002, being both a critical hit and being the first game in the series to receive a MultiPlatform release on console as well as PC, getting it into the hands of a wider audience. The series' popularity would only increase with the the subsequent releases of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', cementing its genre as a bastion of western gaming.
193* ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}}'' may not be the first RhythmGame, but it set the standard that many rhythm games would soon follow--games such as ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'', ''DJ MAX'', ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'', among others. ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' in turn brought instrument-based rhythm games to the western market.
194* Back in 1992, {{Strategy Game}}s were nearly all turn-based. Then ''VideoGame/DuneII'' came along, though admittedly there were a few earlier RealTimeStrategy games, most importantly ''VideoGame/HerzogZwei''. Nevertheless, it was ''Dune II'' that spawned [[FollowTheLeader imitators]] and launched the RTS genre. Which is debatable, as one could see ''Dune II'' being to the first ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' what ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' was to ''Doom''.
195* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'' was the game that kicked off the 3D ActionAdventure genre.
196* ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' pioneered FallingBlocks puzzle games and the "simple puzzle" genre.
197* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' took cues from ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' but specifically simplified those games for a wider audience. The [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI result]] defined the JRPG genre, and created most of the major tropes used therein.
198* ''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'' was thought of as a graphical Multi-User Dungeon. Now we refer to it as a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG. Of course, the genre reached new heights of popularity (and another, [[FollowTheLeader even larger wave of imitators]]) after being popularized by ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}}'' and ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.
199* What started as a popular Custom Map genre for ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' and ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' has become the TowerDefense genre.
200* Similarly, ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' paved the way for the MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena (or MOBA) genre.
201* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' set the basics for the BeatEmUp genre, but it's ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' that caused games of this type to flood the market. And ''Double Dragon'' was the technical and spiritual successor to ''Renegade'', made by the same company, and whaddaya know, it's the predecessor to ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom''. Granted, ''Renegade'' wasn't actually ''good'', but it still counts.
202* ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokaiTenkaichi'' is largely credited for being the standard on which all other anime arena fighters would spawn from, from the ''VideoGame/NarutoUltimateNinjaStorm'' series to the contested ''VideoGame/JumpForce''. While it could be argued some games take more from ''Storm'' than ''Tenkaichi'', ''Tenkaichi'' is the one that wrote the book on what would come.
203* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' began the "[[StylishAction spectacle fighter]]" genre, with such other entries as ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'', ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', ''VideoGame/GodHand'', ''VideoGame/MadWorld'', and ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. Some reviewers have even questioned the labelling of ''God of War'' as a spectacle fighter (due to its focus on story and atmosphere, the adventure gameplay and the noted lack of any "score" beyond the amount of orbs), and started calling it part of its own genre, joined by ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'', ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'', ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'', ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' and ''Franchise/{{Conan|TheBarbarian}}''. Current name for said genre? "[[CatharsisFactor Being God of War]]". This has led to a [[FlameWar degree of hostility between fans of the two archetypal series]]. It's slowly died down, however, with the latest ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 God of War]]'' game utilizing a more ''Souls''-like approach to its gameplay, allowing games like ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', and ''VideoGame/AstralChain'' to refine the genre and remind people that more can be done with it [[FollowTheLeader than just copying]] ''God of War'''s formula.
204* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' for WideOpenSandbox games. Its core gameplay, featuring a third-person view of a protagonist who brawls, shoots and jumps in and out of cars, is so commonly copied that it's also a subgenre unto itself.
205* While it was not the first computer role-playing game, ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' was one of the most influential titles of the golden age and the direct ancestor of the EasternRPG.
206* Even though ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989'' and, to a greater extent, ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'', were the first to use the classic gameplay model, it was ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' that launched the SurvivalHorror genre and gave it a name. Similarly ''System Shock'' for the... uh... "other SurvivalHorror genre".
207* ''Flight Control'' for the iPhone could be said to have launched the "path tracing" genre of game, which is uniquely suited to the device's touchscreen interface.
208* ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' is often credited with popularizing the trend of adventure games set in a BeautifulVoid. An earlier Cyan game, ''VideoGame/TheManhole'', introduced us to PopUpVideoGames.
209* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series defined and popularized the StealthBasedGame genre for years to come.
210* Those casual {{Time Management Game}}s you see everywhere on the Internet nowadays? You have ''Videogame/DinerDash'' to thank or hate for that.
211* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' started the whole "[[LeParkour parkour]] platformer" sub-genre that includes ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' and ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}''. And before that, [[VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1 the original]] started the CinematicPlatformGame sub-genre.
212* Twenty years before ''VideoGame/EveOnline'', ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' on the BBC Micro paved the way for all 3D space simulators, and particularly space trading and open sandbox games. And before ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'', ''VideoGame/StarRaiders'' on the Atari 800 took the basic ''Trek''-style top-down gameplay from the mainframe era and created the 3D space sim.
213* ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'' were the first [[CuteEmUp Cute'em ups]].
214%%* Although BulletHell shooters have been around since the early 90's--''Batsugun'' (1993) is one of the first such games and ''VideoGame/{{Recca}}'' (1992) is responsible for the subgenre's origins as well--there are a few games that are commonly seen as making the genre big:
215* Going back to the earliest days of ''any'' video game, ''VideoGame/ColossalCave'' (also known as ''Colossal Cave Adventure'', ''Adventure'', or simply ''ADVENT'') was the first AdventureGame, leading into both InteractiveFiction and PointAndClick adventure games, as well as sparking the whole DungeonCrawling genre. One could even argue that ADVENT was the first computer game ever to be more than just a puzzle or sports game--while it's pretty light on story, the wide variety of environments, objects, and [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]], even if they were just described in text, was far beyond anything else at the time.
216* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' was not the first sandbox cube building game, but it was the first to make it big and inspire numerous clones and 'clones'.
217* While the first-person dungeon crawler was a rather popular genre at its peak, ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' has caused a new wave of such games to appear, making it a Genre ''Re''popularizer.
218* ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioWorld'' and ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'' did this for PlatformHell. Sure, it existed before in the form of a SMB 1 hack and a Japanese flash game, but once those two came around, the flood gates opened and clones were springing up all over the place. There's a reason ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'' has a fan game section, or that ''Kaizo'' has become a generic term for any ultra difficult ''Super Mario World'' hack...
219* The runaway success of the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series inspired a number of other developers to make PlatformFighter games, which distinguished themselves from other fighting games by allowing more than two players at a time, platformer-like stages and jump physics, a score- or lives-based goal, randomly-dropped items, and usually (but not always) a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover with the library of a given game company.
220* An interesting case with {{Metroidvania}}s. The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games were always popular and successful, but it was ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' that popularized the genre. Fans recognized that the elements came in ''Metroid'' first, and thus the term {{Metroidvania}} was born.
221* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games sparked off the [[GottaCatchEmAll collection]] RPG trend, which can extend beyond Mons and into almost any game where there are tons of party members to collect. However, ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' (which predated both by several years) had almost no human party members for a good chunk of the game. To round out the player's party, the player would tame monsters that they fought in the wild, convert them to his party, and subsequently use them to fight other monsters. While not officially released outside of Japan until well after the mon trend was established, this was the [[Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei third]] RPG-style video game to feature such a gameplay mechanic, and likely paved the way.
222* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' wasn't the first, even in its own series, but is one of the most popular "Action [=RPGs=]" ever made (one of the most popular games full stop for that matter) and is the game still copied by the genre today. As with ''Doom'', the genre was even referred to as "Diablo clones" before its popularity and evolution ended up giving us the more neutral name.
223* While 3D fighting games like ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' have been around since the days of the Platform/SegaGenesis, ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' is what helped establish this subgenre as a worthy alternative to 2D fighting games like ''Street Fighter'', ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', with titles like ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' and ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'' following in its wake.
224* ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' both popularized the {{Metroidvania}} genre so much that it was named after both franchises.
225* While the JRPG genre has been popular in Japan since ''Dragon Quest'' first began, it was at first very niche amongst western audiences at first. Enter ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' from Creator/SquareEnix, which became a massive success and catapulted the genre into mainstream popularity outside of Japan. Nowadays, franchises like Creator/BandaiNamco's ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', Creator/{{Atlus}}' ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'', Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', Creator/MonolithSoft and Nintendo's ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', Creator/{{Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', and even Square Enix's own ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' and ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' have been able to reach levels of popularity that wouldn't have been possible without ''Final Fantasy VII''.
226* In Japan, ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorialGirlsSide'' popularized the OtomeGame genre, while in the west ''VisualNovel/{{Hakuouki}}'' was the first to achieve success with the gaming public and paved the way for more otome localizations.
227* The ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' series pretty much [[TropeMaker created]] the FarmLifeSim genre; but while the games were popular, the genre it established remains pretty niche outside of itself and some obscure, indie titles. It was the popularity of ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' (itself inspired by the ''Harvest Moon'' games) that finally propelled the FarmLifeSim into a mainstream video game genre.
228* While far from the first to use the VisualNovel style, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series popularized the format outside of Japan, where it had previously been treated as an extremely niche style with no widespread appeal. The success of ''Ace Attorney'' led to other visual novels such as ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' and ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' gaining sizeable foreign fanbases, as well as the creation of a number of Western visual novels such as ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' and ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''.
229[[/folder]]
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231[[folder:Web Original]]
232* First there was ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. Then there were imitators. Now TheAbridgedSeries is a genre unto itself. Creator/LittleKuriboh has gotten [[JustForFun/TheWarOfTheAbridgedSeriesCreators into a (joke) war with the other creators]].
233* The ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/{{Mercenaries}} 2'' comments on this phenomenon; Yatzhee decides to not use the term "''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto GTA]]'' clone" when the WideOpenSandbox has become so common, and compares it to what happened with ''Doom'', above. (But then goes on to say that many such games, including ''Mercenaries 2'' itself, ''do'' still deserve to be branded as "''Grand Theft Auto'' clones" because of how directly they copy the formula.)
234* Toastyfrog's [[http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Site/ThumbnailTheatre Evangelion Thumbnail Theater]] touches off a brief fad of anime series-based Thumbnail Theaters.
235* WebVideo/AMVHell started a style of GagDub. It even quotes the last line from the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' text at the start of ''AMV Hell 4''.
236* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' launched the co-operative image board genre. To the point that the games being called quests.
237* ''WebAnimation/XiaoXiao'' spawned a lot of stick figure fight scenes (and perhaps fight scenes for Flash itself) as soon as the third installment got Weekly User's Choice at Platform/{{Newgrounds}}.
238* When Website/YouTube first came out, some amateur filmmaker decided to put [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd two parody video game reviews for some old NES titles up on it]]. Now it seems like every third gamer or so insists on trying to become the next AVGN. Likewise, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic has gotten quite a few imitators - and quite a few so good, he's teamed up with them! Most of the genres on Website/YouTube have been created this way, for example the SliceOfLife vlog style [[TropeCodifier made famous]] by Kevin Nalts, aka Nalty.
239* ''WebVideo/FreemansMind'' launched the "X's Mind" genre, showing what {{Heroic Mime}}s are really thinking.
240* "Hyakugojyuichi" by Creator/NeilCicierega launched the {{Animutation}} genre.
241* Horror web series and {{A|lternateRealityGame}}RGs were seen sporadically during the TurnOfTheMillennium, but it wasn't until ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' and ''Blog/JustAnotherFool'' that they really took off. Aside from more directly influencing the direction of Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos, they also inspired the creation of other horror series such as Franchise/TheFearMythos.
242* WebVideo/MagicGumCivilizationExperiments singlehandedly, through its popularity, created an entire genre of videos known as WebVideo/MinecraftCivilizationExperiments that became a popular trend, featuring people (mostly in VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}, though also other games) participating in events where they [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin created and built Civilizations in Minecraft]] and other games, hoping to bring their civilization to the top.
243* LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}}'s let's play of ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' made LetsPlay a video and live-commentary based internet sensation, as opposed to what it used to be where you just took screenshots every few minutes of gameplay and had typed commentary on it.
244* [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Mike Nelson's]] ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' helped popularize the [[AlternateDVDCommentary fan film commentary]] genre.
245* Played with involving the destruction genre. While one of the founders of the genre, dOvetastic, was already popular in his own right, it was mostly just destruction via microwaves (and the few early FollowTheLeader shows like microwavecam and a Website/YouTube show called Microwave Monday are often forgotten) or smashing things. However, ''Advertising/WillItBlend'' brought the genre to the forefront of popular culture, and when WebVideo/IsItAGoodIdeaToMicrowaveThis debuted, the fact that it combined ''Advertising/WillItBlend'' with dOvetastic Microwave Theater ([[WordOfGod which is how the creator initially described it]]), let the microwave sub-genre itself become very popular with other shows debuting, some more successful than others, that used their formula to some extent.
246* ''WebVideo/Local58'' spawned an entire subgenre of similar horror videos informally known as "{{analog horror}}".
247* WebVideo/RedLetterMedia's ''WebVideo/MisterPlinkettReviews'', specifically their 70-minute deconstruction of ''Film/StarWarsThePhantomMenace'', launched the long-form online video essay, a genre that has largely supplanted the WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic-style CausticCritic schtick. The review even predated Youtube's increase in maximum video length, forcing it to be release in seven parts. These days, videos featuring multiple hours of detailed film analysis (and other related topics) are quite common.
248* The ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' [[https://sm64-conspiracies.fandom.com/wiki/Iceberg iceberg]], while far from the first of its kind, popularised the format to the point where just about every fandom or topic has their own dedicated iceberg chart cataloguing information on the subject. The [[https://youtu.be/qK4L4wR3-pU explanation video]] by Mish Koz also popularised the idea of [=YouTubers=] from the fandom or subculture the iceberg represented making their own videos going through them point by point to elaborate on what everything means.
249* While there were popular Minecraft [=SMP=] servers on web video platforms prior to its debut, the genre was considered largely a thing of the past before WebVideo/SMPLive's debut in 2019. It exploded in popularity, directly leading to the success of its spiritual successor WebVideo/SMPEarth, and the WebVideo/DreamSMP, which it shares many of its cast members with, and would go on to have its popularity greatly overshadow that of its predecessor.
250[[/folder]]
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252[[folder:Webcomics]]
253* ''Webcomic/NeglectedMarioCharacters'' was the original SpriteComic, and spawned a swarm of imitators. ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', however, is usually thought of as the father of sprite comics, with ''thousands'' of imitation comics coming out (and often promptly dying) in its forums.
254* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'': started a thousand [[TwoGamersOnACouch couches]].
255* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' was the first webcomic to manage a consistent, reliable daily schedule. The cartoonist, Bill Holbrook, had not one but two daily comics in newspaper syndication when he started K&K, and brought the same degree of professionalism and discipline to the new distribution medium.
256* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' and ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' have spawned hundreds of imitators not just of the InteractiveComic genre, but of the TextParser presentation style of ''MSPA'' itself; some of these are followed by hundreds of people and come close to matching ''MSPA'''s [[OneManArmy legendary update rate]].
257[[/folder]]
258
259[[folder:Western Animation]]
260* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' with prime time animated sitcoms. Then after it faded, brought back by ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (who {{lampshade|Hanging}}d their debt to ''The Flintstones'' more than once).
261* After MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, several television series stand out as being the inspiration for the wave of high-budget high-quality work that would follow in the nineties: Creator/RalphBakshi's ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouseTheNewAdventures'' (a low-rated and controversial show that nonetheless inspired a generation of animators) and the one-two punch of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' (which proved that high-budget animation on television could be lucrative).
262* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' inspired a new slew of more serious western animation, much of which being updates of superhero comics. Besides the future shows produced by the same team for the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, among the more successful ones are ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. ''BTAS'' also made cartoony stylization respectable for Western action-adventure animation, rather than the uneven attempts at realism that had dominated the genre since ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''.
263* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' started Creator/HannaBarbera's line of cartoons that feature realistic depictions of the human figure, including the original ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' and ''WesternAnimation/BirdMan1967''.
264* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' was one of the first 80's cartoons made to [[MerchandiseDriven sell toys]] after the FCC lifted the ban on such programs. However, one of the other cartoons in the genre, ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', has had the biggest impact on pop culture thanks to [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars many]] [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated high-quality]] [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime relaunches]] and an '''incredibly''' successful [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film series]].
265** The ''Franchise/CareBears'' popularized a more sugary-sweet type of toy-driven 'toon than ''He-Man'', ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', ''Thundercats'' and ''Transformers'', but like ''He-Man'', its popularity was later usurped by ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony'', especially after its [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic most recent relaunch]] gained a ''huge'' PeripheryDemographic.
266* As for {{All CGI Cartoon}}s on TV...
267** [[Creator/RainmakerEntertainment Mainframe's]] ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' was the first popular CGI TV series (but not the first). ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', also by Mainframe, would prove to be even more popular and revive the ''Transformers'' franchise.
268** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' added some more life into the CGI action cartoon trend and spawned ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries''.
269* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' jump-started a trend of {{Animesque}} action cartoons which were more comedic than the DCAU. After its cancellation, many of its cast and crew went on to do some of these cartoons, such as the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben10}}'' franchise and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''.
270** One of the best of these cartoons, however, was Nickelodeon's ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', which was less cartoony in tone than ''Teen Titans'' and was successful enough to become a Genre Popularizer in itself for [[SeasonFluidity more serialized 2D-animated series]], such as its [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra sequel]] and followers ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', and the relaunch of ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}''.
271[[/folder]]

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