The disco counterculture was eventually embraced by women nationally who enjoyed the dance element and disco eventually expanded across the whole of the USA and the world for a time.

Disco was popular in nightclubs and one of the most famous early clubs was DJ David Mancuso's The Loft in New York City.  This was a private members dance club.

Disco's musical influences include funk, Latin and soul music. The disco sound has soaring, often reverberated vocals over a steady "four-on-the-floor" beat, an eighth note (quaver) or 16th note (semi-quaver) hi-hat pattern with an open hi-hat on the off-beat, and a prominent, syncopated electric bass line sometimes consisting of octaves. The Fender Jazz Bass is often associated with disco bass lines, because the instrument itself has a very prominent 'voice' in the musical mix. In most disco tracks, strings, horns, electric pianos, and electric guitars create a lush background sound. Orchestral instruments such as the flute are often used for solo melodies, and unlike in rock, lead guitar is rarely used.

Famous disco artists include The Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, Donna Summer, The Jacksons and Chic.  Films like Saturday Night Fever and Thank God It's Friday contributed to disco's rise in mainstream popularity.

According to music writer Piero Scaruffi the disco phenomenon spread quickly because the "collective ecstasy" of disco was cathartic and regenerative and led to freedom of expression. Disco was the last mass popular music movement that was driven by the baby boom generation.

An angry backlash against disco music and culture emerged in the United States, hitting its peak with the July 1979 Disco Demolition Night riot. While the popularity of disco in the United States declined markedly as a result of the backlash, the genre continued to be popular elsewhere during the 1980s including the UK.

The term "disco" became unfashionable in the 1980s and it was replaced by the mantel of "dance music" and "dance pop" which described music powered by the basic disco beat.  These dance clubs went on to become the host the style of dance music we are familiar with today and disco can be thanked in a small part for its influence in that.   It especially influenced early House, Hi Nrg and Euro Disco dance music.