In pop music, there is encoded a secret formula to climb the ladder of fame in the music industry. Some attribute this formula to the beauty of the performers, others to talent and creativity, and some say you must simply have excellent connections. While all of these traits can help to accelerate a musician to the top, all popular music contains a common thread providing the path for many young musicians to slip under the sheets as a nameless teenager and wake up as a front page headliner. So, what makes popular music popular? And what gives this genre the right to such a pretentious title? The secret lies in the ability to formulate mesmerizing hooks, upbeat lyrics or relevant themes, and a catchy tune that seems to be on repeat in your mind long after the radio is off. Popular songs have consisted of these three variables since Frank Sinatra's My Way. Rock musicians adapted these factors into their own genre called pop rock. This merger of pop and rock is more commonly called emo, which is a derivative of emotional hardcore. Pop rock is a more catchy and mainstream version of traditional rock, often setting love stories to the harmonious notes of power chords. Though pop has the defining factor of popularity, there is much diversity within the genre. Unlike many other styles, pop music is not constrained to musicians of a certain gender. Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears both achieved fame in the pop industry, while the song of a hopeless romantic is heard just as frequently on radio waves as that of a vengeful ex-girlfriend. With pop, there is always at least one song that makes its way into the musical repertoire of every music lover. The Top 40 hits provide a track to make anyone dance, if only behind closed doors.