Indo pop usually expresses contemporary Indonesian sentiments and lifestyles, generally about love and social life related to relationships.

[2] One of the earliest form of Indonesian pop can be traced back to Orkes Melayu ("Malay orchestra") bands in Medan starting in the 1930s to its peak in 1950s Jakarta and Surabaya mishmashing musical traditions of bangsawan theatre from the Riau Islands with Indian and Arabic influences filtered through Western instrumentation.

Indonesian pop music in the 1970s also gave rise to musicians and singers such as Chrisye, Titiek Puspa, and Ebiet G. Ade.

[10] Popular singers and composers in this subgenre included Chrisye, Fariz RM, KLa Project, Utha Likumahuwa, and Vina Panduwinata.

[11][12][7] The successes of the Badai Pasti Berlalu soundtrack and Fariz RM's album Sakura became a momentum for the growth of city pop.

The songs are quite political; they raise many issues, such as war ("Puing"), the environment ("Isi Rimba Tak Ada Tempat Berpijak Lagi"), poverty ("Siang Sebrang Istana"), and child labour ("Sore Tugu Pancoran").

The first boy group to debut in Indonesia was Trio Libels, which consisted of Ronnie Sianturi, Yanni and Edwin Manansang.

Several notable groups that emerged from this wave are Cool Colors, Coboy, M.E., T-Five, Warna, Rida Sita Dewi, AB Three, and Bening.

[18] Some pop rock bands incorporate traditional Malay roots into their sound, reviving the old Orkes Melayu style once popular in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Dwiki Dharmawan, a member of Krakatau, is known for some of his musical works that are related to soundtracks in Indonesian films and television series.

[37] Indonesian singers such as Agnez Mo have been gaining popularity in neighbouring Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

[38] The 2018 single "Heaven" by Afgan, Isyana Sarasvati, and Rendy Pandugo, became popular in Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, reaching the top 10 in all four countries.

[39] In 2018, the official theme song for the 2018 Asian Games, "Meraih Bintang", performed by pop dangdut singer Via Vallen,[40] became viral in numerous countries across Asia and beyond.

Nevertheless, prominent Indonesian musicians such as Rich Brian, NIKI, Stephanie Poetri, Weird Genius, and Rainych have acquired recognition internationally between 2018 and 2022.