Not bound by national borders, popular music has been flowing across the world for over a century. It has been consumed and produced by many, including Southeast Asians. This book offers a concise history of popular music and its social meaning in Southeast Asia. It focuses on the Malay world; that is, present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, with an occasional sidestep to other parts of the region, such as the Philippines and Thailand. The period stretches from popular music’s beginnings in the ‘Jazz Age’ of the 1920s and 1930s, to the first decade of the twenty-first century, with phenomena such as modern Muslim boy bands and digital music sharing.