Showing results for yacht rock. Search instead for Nachts zog.

yacht rock

American

[yot rok] / ˈjɒt ˌrɒk /

noun

a loosely defined style of smooth music influenced by jazz and rhythm and blues, and associated with the American soft rock of the 1970s and 1980s: perceived as having a natural affinity with sailing or relaxing on a boat.

Etymology

Origin of yacht rock

Coined in 2005 by U.S. writer and filmmaker J. D. Ryznar

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

yacht rock

Today both songs are regarded as key examples of the style that became known retroactively as yacht rock; on Spotify, each has more than 120 million streams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

It was yacht rock that sank Amanda Rodriguez.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

It’s not Billy Joel or yacht rock or even East Coast hip-hop.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2024

The short version of the story is I was on the way to my brother's wedding and the radio in our car was stuck on this yacht rock station.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2023

Tea has been over for some time, the wind is blowing softly over the deep blue and green patches of water, and makes the yacht rock gently from side to side.

From Zoe; Or, Some Day A Novel by May Leonard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023