Beat music is a popular musical style characterized by a simple, strong beat. The term was applied to the music of The Beatles and other English groups in the early 1960s, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Dave Clark Five, The Searchers, and The Hollies. Accordingly, beat music is sometimes referred to as British Beat. Those performing it were grounded in rock 'n' roll and rhythm & blues.

Initially encouraged by the simplicity of skiffle, beat groups typically had a line-up of drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, and a lead singer (sometimes, as with The Beatles, this would be one of the instrumentalists). Strong regional versions existed, with Liverpool (Merseybeat) the major focus. The best bands were central to the "British Invasion" of the American charts in the early and mid 1960s.