On the central coast, the joropo ensemble is smaller, reduced to a harp or bandola and a singer who plays maracas. The music, incorporating some of the African tradition of the area, differs from the plains style in that verses are shorter and more repetitive with more improvisation. In the state of Lara, the golpe –a different kind of joropo— is performed with an instrumentation that includes a cinco and a tambora; or a violin or guitar and a large drum.

Merengue is originally from the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela heartily supports local Latin pop acts like Billo's Caracas Boys, Porfi Jiménez Orchestra and Los Melódicos. The Venezuelan merengue is different from its more famous counterpart, The Venezuelan calypso, which reflects the closeness of Trinidad and Tobago and, beyond them, the other Caribbean islands.

The vanguard of fusion artists combine rumba, Latin jazz, joropo, salsa and other forms of music from Latin America.

Originally a rural form of the llanos, or plains, llanera spread to musically creative artists like Juan Vicente Torrealba and Ignacio Figueredo, who helped to popularize music through the country , leading to a slick modern form of pop-llanera that has earned scorn from purists and much of the younger Venezuelan listeners, who perceive it as stale and watered-down. Some singers, like Simón Díaz and Reynaldo Armas, have maintained a huge following over the years. In a similar vein, there is also is neo-folklore, which takes traditional music and arranges it in an electronic style, for electronic instruments.

Other forms of Venezuelan folk music have achieved little or no popular acclaim, but are extensively recorded and researched due to the work of Caracas-based Fundación Bigott.

African-derived percussion (including multiple rhythms, such as sangeo, Fulía and parranda) is perhaps the most well-documented subject, and has produced groups like Un Solo Pueblo, Huracán de Fuego and Grupo Madera.

Venezuelan calypso music, imported from Trinidad in the 1880s by immigrants arriving during a gold rush, has its own distinctive rhythms and lyrical style. Calypso de El Callao in Venezuela, the music has had major stars, most famously including VH.

The Gaita (music style) is also a popular style, played generally during Christmas, and is typical of the Zulian region.

Pop music and rock are very popular too, and several bands have had their rise and fall in the music scene. Venezuelan rock has strong influences from Argentine bands, so their style may be somewhat placed in the same category. However, most bands incorporate caribbean rhythms, thus giving them unique characteristics. Some well known bands are Desorden Público, Caramelos de Cianuro, Los Amigos Invisibles, and the now extinct Sentimiento Muerto.

Jazz, house and avant-garde have also been popular, especially in Caracas.

There have also been Venezuelan Classical composers. Among these, there are Moisés Moleiro, Teresa Carreño (who was also a world-renowned pianist), Eduardo Marturet (who is primarily an international conductor), Antonio Estévez, Federico Ruiz (who also works often with other genres), and Vicente Emilio Sojo (particularly known for his contributions to Venezuelan musicology and music education). The torch of Moleiro and Sojo was picked up by several of their students, of which Roberto Ruscitti stands out. Several of his compositions can be heard at his website.

Other famous musicians include Edgar Ojeda, Adrenalina Caribe, Serenata Guayanesa and Cheo Hurtado, as well as the group Guaco.

Among the more popular instruments in today’s folk and popular music are the guitar and the mandolin, with their relatives, the cuatro and the bandola; the harp and violin; and, along the Colombian border, the tiple. The bandola is similar to the cuatro, but is shorter, often pear-shaped, and more percussive or stronger-sounding due to the manner in which it is played, with a plastic pick

As in the U.S., the music of Christmas in Venezuela is not necessarily religious, but may be simply celebratory of the holiday and the successful completion of the year. Christmas carols are called aguinaldos, and are commonly sung door-to-door in parrandas, much as in Puerto Rico. The revelers expect to be received with drinks or food, such as hallacas, a holiday specialty wrapped in a banana leaf.

Gaita is a music genre originated from the region of el Zulia and is very popular during the Christmas season. It has grown to be a national representation of the Venezuelan Christmas.