What Music We Think You Listen to Based on Which Dallas Neighborhood You Live In

Dallas encompasses several distinct neighborhoods, each with its own culture, history and stereotypes for us to make fun of. Anyone who’s spent more than a couple weeks in the city will happily tease Deep Ellum’s hipsters or the Highland Park trust fund kids. Whether you actually fit the bill or not, people love to make an assumption about you based on your address.

We’re in no position to judge such assumptions, however. That is, after all, exactly what we’re doing here. We’ve looked at several major neighborhoods in Dallas and, after some broad, sweeping judgements, have decided what artists we think their residents might be listening to.

This is based on a number of factors, including the general vibe of the neighborhoods as well as existing stereotypes about people who live there.

(If you live in one of these areas and have never heard of the artists mentioned, check out the embedded Spotify playlist to find out once and for all if you’re truly an outlier.)

Deep Ellum listens to: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hemlock Springs, Toadies, Passion Pit

Deep Ellum is known for its live music and nightlife scenes and for the too-cool indie kids that inhabit it. Pinning down what all of its residents listen to is impossible because, as they’re so eager to point out, we probably haven’t even heard of it. However, we think it’s a pretty safe bet that they’re bumping both current and classic indie hits whether they care to admit it or not.

National Anthem: “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit

Oak Lawn listens to: Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Robyn, Hilary Duff, St. Vincent

Oak Lawn is known as “the gayborhood” thanks to it being the historic center of Dallas’ LGBT community. Many artists are widely known to be gay icons, but that would be too easy. Everyone listens to Lady Gaga and Beyonce. So we’re going to highlight the lesser-known heroes of queer culture: pop singers who mainstream listeners think are washed up. Where else but a gay club will “Sparks” by Hilary Duff bring the house down? Absolutely nowhere.

National Anthem: “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn

Lower Greenville listens to: Radiohead, Guided by Voices, R.E.M., Liz Phair, Lisa Loeb

Lower Greenville is kind of like the Gen X big brother of Deep Ellum and we’re hoping they let us raid their CD collection. Also like Deep Ellum, we’re sure that this sampling of Gen X cultural touchstones doesn’t scratch the surface of whatever scene they attached themselves to back in the day, and they will only mention the above artists in the context of bragging about seeing them open for someone else. Regardless, we know they have these artists’ records and feel seen by them in a world that even all these decades later just doesn’t get them.

National Anthem: “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.

Uptown listens to: Kanye West, Drake, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Post Malone

Of all the neighborhoods in Dallas, Uptown is where you are most likely to get cut off by a 24-year-old “entrepreneur” in a leased BMW, and such a person listens only to the most popular mainstream hip-hop of the past two decades. The average Uptowner thinks Eminem is the greatest rapper of all time, but still relates to West’s “Gold Digger” because he believes women view him as rich and successful. Sometimes an Uptowner will say he’s into the classics. That, of course, means that he loves yelling “smoke weed everyday” at the end of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.”

National Anthem: “A Milli” by Lil Wayne

Bishop Arts District listens to: Belle & Sebastian, The Magnetic Fields, Regina Spektor, Sarah Jaffe

Bishop Arts is the kind of area you can imagine a mid-2000s Zooey Deschanel riding around on a bicycle with flowers in the basket, so we assume its inhabitants might have equally twee inclinations. Their idea of flirting is standing next to someone and waiting for them to ask what they’re listening to, and Bishop Arts is full of picturesque locations for such a meet-cute to occur.

National Anthem: “Us” by Regina Spektor

The rest of Oak Cliff listens to: The D.O.C., Stevie Ray Vaughan, Edie Brickell

Outside the curated twee wonderland of Bishop Arts, Oak Cliff has a storied musical history spanning multiple genres and generations. This is something the neighborhood takes pride in, so locals’ playlists are certainly inundated with these artists’ works. What are they listening to of their own accord, you may ask? Probably anything else.

National Anthem: “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan

Lakewood listens to: Bruno Mars, Meghan Trainor, Pink, Train, Bowling For Soup

Lakewood is a neighborhood largely geared toward families, meaning many of its residents are moms. While there are many moms out there who listen to cool music, we’re dealing heavily in stereotypes with this list, so we’re sticking with the mom hits: slightly dated, radio-friendly pop fit for a minivan singalong that will have your tween daughter begging you to put on Olivia Rodrigo instead.

National Anthem: “Me Too” by Meghan Trainor

East Dallas listens to: Erykah Badu, Dark Rooms, The Roomsounds
East Dallas listens to everything you do, except they listen to it correctly. They also think that album you like is good, but they know why it’s good. And that album you think is bad? It is bad, but not for the reason you think it is. Just take their word for it. After all, their side of town has produced so many great artists. Is it that unreasonable for them to assume they’re also musical geniuses?
National Anthem: “On & On” by Erykah Badu