The electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, the bass guitar , and/or the harmonica. Electric blues is performed in several regional subgenres, such as Chicago blues, Texas blues and Memphis blues.

The electric blues first emerged as a fully-fledged genre in the mid-1940s. The initial wave of U.S. electric blues musicians inspired the British blues scene of the 1960s, which included artists such as John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds and the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, as well as rock groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.