Slavko Avsenik is one of the most influential and popular polka and waltz musicians in the world. Oberkrainer music, which the Avsenik Ensemble popularized, remains very popular today and is always a strong candidate for country (folk) music awards in Slovenia and Austria. Slavko and his brother, Vilko, are usually credited as the pioneers of Slovenian popular music, having solidified its style in the 1950s.
One of the most famous modern Slovenian bands is Laibach, an early 1980s industrial music group.
Ljubljana-native Bratko Bibič's former band Begnagrad was a massively influential 1970s group that are considered one of the direct influences on modern world music. Bibič's unique accordion style, often solo, with no accompaniment, has also made him a solo star.
Avant-garde classical music arose in Slovenia in the 1960s, largely due to the work of Primož Ramovš and Ivo Petrič, who also conducted the Slavko Osterc Ensemble. Jakob Jež, Darijan Božič, Lojze Lebič and Vinko Globokar have since composed enduring works, especially Globokar's L'Armonia, an opera.
Modernist composers include Uroš Rojko, Tomaž Svete, Brina Jež-Brezavšček and Aldo Kumar. Kumar's Sonata z igro 12 (A sonata with a play 12), a set of variations on a rising chromatic scale, is particularly notable.
Folk music includes velike goslarije, a type of big band music, the bowed zither and panpipes, and rural harmony singing. Folk revivalists include Katice, Trinajsto Prase, Musicante Istriani and Tolovaj Mataj.