Reggaeton (also spelled reggaet?n, and known as reguet?n and reggaet?n in Spanish) is a form of Latin urban music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton's predecessor originated in Panama as reggae en espa?ol. After the music's gradual exposure and commercial packaging in Puerto Rico, it eventually evolved into a new musical style known as reggaeton. Reggaeton blends West-Indian music influences of reggae, dancehall, and soca with those of Latin America, such as bomba, plena, salsa, latin pop and bachata as well as those of hip hop, contemporary R&B, and electronica. However, reggaeton is also combined with rapping or singing in Spanish. The influence of this genre has spread to the wider Latino communities in the United States, as well as the Latin American audience. While it takes influences from hip hop and Jamaican dancehall, reggaeton is not the Hispanic or Latino version of either of these genres; reggaeton has its own specific beat and rhythm, whereas Latino hip hop is simply hip hop recorded by artists of Latino descent. The specific rhythm that characterizes reggaeton is referred to as "Dem Bow." The name is a reference to the title of the dancehall song by Shabba Ranks that first popularized the beat in the early 1990s. Reggaeton's origins represents a hybrid of many different musical genres and influences from various countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. The genre of reggaeton however is most closely associated with Puerto Rico, as this is where the musical style was later popularized and became most famous, and where the vast majority of its current stars originated.

Reggaeton lyrics tend to be derived more from hip hop than dancehall. Like hip hop, reggaeton has caused some controversy, albeit less, due to alleged exploitation of women, and to a lesser extent, explicit and violent lyrics. Further controversy surrounds perreo, a dance with explicit sexual overtones which is performed to reggaeton music. Perreo was the subject of a national controversy in Puerto Rico as reggaeton music and the predominantly lower class culture it derived from, became more popular and widely available.

Reggaeton's roots started off as Spanish reggae in Panama. Panama was the first country to introduce reggeaton thru reggae en espanol rapper "El General" The music eventually made its way and continued evolving and coming to prominence in Puerto Rico where it became reggaeton. Reggaeton started as an adaptation of Jamaican reggae to the Spanish language and overall culture in Panama. Since the early 20th century when Jamaican laborers were used to help build the Panama Canal. Afro-Panamanians had been performing and recording Spanish-language reggae since the 1970s. Artists such as El General, Chichoman, Nando Boom, Renato, and Black Apache are considered the first raggaeton DJs from Panama. El General is often considered the father of reggaeton, blending Jamaican reggae into a Latinised version. It was common practice to translate the lyrics of Jamaican reggae song into Spanish and sing them over the original melodies, a form termed "Spanish reggae" or "Reggae en espa?ol." Meanwhile, during the 1980s the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C released Spanish-language hip hop records in his native island. His production of cassettes throughout the 1980s, mixing reggae and hip hop, also helped spread the early reggaeton sound, and he is widely credited with this achievement. The widespread movement of "Spanish reggae" in the Latin-American communities of the Caribbean and the urban centres of the United States help increase its popularity.