Pop music prioritizes instant gratification, meaning it should be "gratifying on the first listen". Key traits often include: How to write a pop song – NYU Music Experience Design Lab

What do we see?

It is the most accurate historical record we have. It tells us what we valued, what we feared, and what we wanted to dance to. It captures the zeitgeist in a bottle, shakes it up, and spray-paints it gold. An index of pop is, ultimately, an index of us.