How do you tell the difference between music genres?

Question

Edit: Totally redone since people seem to think I’m completely stupid or something.

How do you tell the difference between closely related genres? For example, I saw an artist listed as “pop, bubblegum pop, indie pop, pop punk, electropop” and I don’t understand how those are all different genres. Or you have rock, punk rock, grunge rock, and alternative rock. Like what themes or instruments or whatever defines these genres and makes them not the same as all the others?

In: Other

Answer 1

The same way you tell the difference between English dialects (Southern US, British, Canadian, NewFound Land, etc.)

They are all English but they each have their idioms that make them unique.

Instead of words, accents and patterns of speech the differences found are in patterns in the melody/harmony/instruments/rhythm/etc.