Quick answer: The Style field in Suno’s Custom mode describes how your song should sound — genre, mood, vocals, instruments and tempo — while the lyrics go in a separate box. Under More options, the Weirdness slider controls how experimental the result is (lower = safer, higher = more surprising) and Style Influence controls how closely Suno follows your style text (higher = stricter). Use Exclude styles to keep out sounds you don’t want, such as “autotune” or “drums”.
Getting the Style field right is the fastest way to better songs. This guide gives you a clear method, recommended slider settings and a large list of styles to copy.
What goes in the Style field
Write short descriptors separated by commas. Start with the genre, because early words carry more weight. A good style line has four to ten parts:
genre, sub-genre, mood, vocal type, two or three instruments, tempo or era, production feel
Example: “neo soul, warm and intimate, smooth female vocals, Rhodes piano, live bass, 85 bpm, vintage warm mix”. For a full formula and 100 ready-made lines, see our Suno prompts guide.
Weirdness, Style Influence and Exclude styles
| Control | What it does | Good starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Weirdness | How safe or adventurous the result is | Around the middle; lower for commercial pop, higher for experimental ideas |
| Style Influence | How strictly Suno follows your style text | Medium-high when you know exactly what you want |
| Exclude styles | Sounds or genres to avoid | Add only what keeps appearing by mistake |
Control names and positions can change between versions. Suno’s official help centre has the latest details.
Recommended settings by goal
| Goal | Weirdness | Style Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Radio-style pop or country | Low | High |
| Background music for videos | Low | Medium-high |
| Fresh genre fusion | Medium-high | Medium |
| Experimental or art music | High | Low-medium |
| Recreating your own earlier sound | Low | High |
These are starting points, not rules. Try two settings with the same prompt and compare. With v6, the separate v6-wild model is another way to get more surprising results.
Using Exclude styles well
Exclude styles is like a “negative prompt”. It helps when Suno keeps adding something you don’t want. Common uses:
- autotune — for natural vocals
- drums — for ambient or solo piano pieces
- male vocals or female vocals — to lock the singer
- rap — for sung-only songs
- electronic — for acoustic tracks
Keep the list short. Too many exclusions can make results flat.
Suno styles list: genres
- Pop: dance pop, synth pop, indie pop, dream pop, electropop, K-pop, J-pop, power ballad, bedroom pop, hyperpop
- Hip hop: boom bap, trap, drill, lo-fi hip hop, melodic rap, G-funk, grime, phonk, jazz rap
- Electronic: house, deep house, afro house, tech house, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, synthwave, future bass, UK garage
- Rock: classic rock, alternative rock, indie rock, grunge, pop punk, post-rock, shoegaze, garage rock
- Metal: heavy metal, metalcore, death metal, power metal, symphonic metal, nu metal
- R&B and soul: 90s R&B, neo soul, Motown, funk, gospel, quiet storm
- Jazz and blues: swing, bebop, smooth jazz, jazz lounge, delta blues, blues rock
- Country and folk: modern country, outlaw country, bluegrass, Americana, indie folk, Celtic folk
- World: Afrobeats, amapiano, reggaeton, salsa, bachata, bossa nova, Bollywood, bhangra, reggae, flamenco
- Cinematic: orchestral, epic trailer, ambient, film score, video game music, chiptune
Mood descriptors
uplifting, euphoric, nostalgic, melancholic, dreamy, dark, moody, romantic, playful, triumphant, tense, peaceful, rebellious, bittersweet, cosy, haunting, energetic, laid-back.
Vocal descriptors
male vocals, female vocals, duet, choir, raspy, breathy, soulful, powerful, falsetto, whispery, deep baritone, bright soprano, rap, spoken word, gang vocals, harmonised vocals, crooner, operatic.
Instrument descriptors
acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, piano, Rhodes, Hammond organ, analog synths, 808 bass, upright bass, strings, brass section, saxophone, violin, cello, flute, tabla, sitar, log drums, steel drums, banjo, ukulele, harp, choir pads.
Production and era descriptors
lo-fi, polished, radio-ready, live band, stripped-back, wall of sound, tape saturation, vinyl crackle, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, Y2K, modern, cinematic, wide stereo, punchy mix, warm analog.
15 style lines that work well
- uplifting dance pop, bright female vocals, punchy synths, 124 bpm
- dark trap, aggressive male rap, hard 808s, eerie bells, 140 bpm
- afro house, soulful male vocals, log drums, warm piano, 120 bpm
- dreamy shoegaze, airy vocals, washed-out guitars, slow
- modern country, heartfelt male vocals, acoustic guitar, pedal steel
- 90s R&B slow jam, smooth female vocals, Rhodes, finger snaps
- epic orchestral trailer, choir, pounding drums, rising strings
- lo-fi chill hop, instrumental, jazzy piano, vinyl crackle, 80 bpm
- pop punk, energetic male vocals, fast drums, big gang chorus
- bossa nova, soft female vocals, nylon guitar, brushed drums
- synthwave, instrumental, neon 80s, analog arpeggios, driving
- contemporary worship, building anthem, male vocals, piano, pads
- Bollywood romantic, Hindi duet, strings, tabla, cinematic
- symphonic metal, operatic female vocals, choir, heavy guitars
- indie folk, harmonised vocals, banjo, stomps and claps, warm
Mixing genres without a mess
Genre fusion can sound amazing, but only when the parts fit together. Choose one main genre and one flavour. “Country trap” or “jazz house” works. “Country jazz metal reggae” usually doesn’t. Put the main genre first and the flavour second, then add instruments that belong to both, such as “banjo over 808s”. Raise Weirdness a little for fusions, and lower Style Influence slightly so Suno has room to blend.
Why artist names don’t belong in styles
Suno blocks or ignores many real artist names, and using them can also raise copyright and fairness concerns. Describe the sound instead: era, vocal tone, instruments and mood. This also helps your song sound more like you. Learn more about rights in Suno copyright explained.
Style field vs meta tags
The Style field sets the sound for the whole song. Meta tags in the lyrics shape individual sections, like a soft bridge or a big final chorus. Use both together: a clear style line for the overall track, then a few short tags where you want changes. If the two disagree — for example a “calm acoustic” style with a [Drop: heavy bass] tag — Suno may ignore one of them.
A quick testing routine
- Write a simple style line with genre, vocals and two instruments.
- Generate once with medium Weirdness and Style Influence.
- Note what you like and what you don’t.
- Change one word or one slider.
- Generate again and compare.
- Save the winning line in a notes file for future songs.
Each test costs credits, so plan them. See how Suno credits work.
A real-world example
A YouTuber needed calm background music for cooking videos. Her first style, “chill music”, produced random results. She rewrote it as “acoustic cafe jazz, instrumental, nylon guitar, soft brushed drums, warm, 90 bpm”, set Weirdness low and Style Influence high, and added “vocals” to Exclude styles. Every result after that fitted her channel, and she reused the same line for weeks of videos (with a paid plan for downloads and commercial rights).
Genre-specific style guides
Go deeper with our genre prompt packs: Hip hop, Afro house, Worship, Metal, Lo-fi, Country, K-pop, Bollywood, Cinematic.
FAQ
What is the best Weirdness setting in Suno?
There’s no single best value. Lower is more predictable; higher is more creative.
What does Style Influence do?
It controls how strictly Suno sticks to your style text.
How long can the Style field be?
It allows long text, but 4–10 short descriptors usually work best.
Does Exclude styles always work?
Usually, but not every time. Combine it with clear positive descriptors.
SunoMusicAI Guide is an independent website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Suno, Inc. Features, prices and policies change often, so always check Suno’s official website for the latest details.
Leave a Reply