Teen idol pop is an inoffensive and catchy style targeted at a fairly young demographic. Often teen idols are characterized by slick marketing campaigns, conventional good looks, and a style-above-substance approach to the music. The genre dates back to the '50s when Pat Boone was first introduced. Unlike Elvis Presley, Boone's clean-cut image did not pose a threat to the burgeoning sexuality of youth. This generated a slew of others including Paul Anka and Ricky Nelson. The teen idol fad faded with the arrival of the Beatles, but it gained new momentum in the late '60s thanks to the Monkees' television program. With a "something for everybody" approach, the Monkees were marketed for their individual looks and one-dimensional personalities: "the dream boat," "the shy one," and so on. This marketing strategy paved the way for the massively successful boy bands of the latter 20th century. with the advent of MTV, the manufacturing of teen idols has become almost more impressive than the idols themselves. Then as now, a few have managed to transcend the genre and prove their musical abilities run deeper than those of the average "dream boat."

Notables: Pat Boone, the Monkees, Cliff Richards, the Bay City Rollers, Hansen