Bachata is a genre of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the early parts of the 20th Century and spread to other parts of Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. It became popular in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was amargue ("bitterness," or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. The form of dance, Bachata, also developed with the music.

The earliest bachata was originally developed in the Dominican Republic around the early part of the 20th century, with mixed Cuban boleros, which originated from Son. WIth afro elements, it combined with traditional Latin/Caribbean rhythms, and is a guitar based music which recently evolved from bolero. During much of its history Bachata music was denigrated by Latino/Caribbean society and associated with rural backwardness and delinquency. As recently as 1988 Bachata was considered too vulgar, crude and musically rustic to enter mainstream music. In the 1990s, bachata's instrumentation changed from acoustic guitar to electric steel string. The new electric bachata soon became an international phenomenon, and today bachata is as popular as salsa and merengue in some Latin American dance-halls.

The typical bachata group consists of five instruments: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electric bass guitar, bongos and g?ira.The rhythm guitar is also known as a Segunda and serves the purpose of adding syncopation to the music. Bachata groups mainly play an evolved style of bolero (lead guitar instrumentation using arpeggiated chords is a distinctive characteristic of bachata), but when they change to merengue based bachata, the percussionist will switch from bongo to a tambora drum. In the 1960s and 70s, maracas were used instead of guira. The change in the 1980s from maracas to the more versatile guira was made as bachata was becoming more dance oriented. The first Dominican bachatas were first recorded immediately after the demise of Trujillo whose 30 year dictatorship was accompanied by censorship. Jos? Manuel Calder?n is credited as having recorded the first bachata singles: (Borracho de amor and Que ser? de mi (Condena)) released on 45rpm in 1961. After Trujillo's death, the floodgates were opened: following Calderon's historic bachata debut came more recordings by the likes of Rodobaldo Duartes, Rafael Encarnacion, Ramoncito Cabrera El Chivo Sin Ley, Corey Perro, Antonio G?mez Salcero, Luis Segura, Ram?n Cordero and many more. The 1960s saw the birth of the Dominican music industry and of the bachata music which would dominate it.