what is a honky tonk

A honky-tonk is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. The term "honky-tonk" is disputed, with its origin being linked to bawdy variety shows in the old West and to the actual theaters showing them. The first music genre to be commonly known as honky-tonk was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony. The sound of honky-tonk and the types of places that were called honky-tonks suggest that the term may be an onomatopoeic reference to the loud, boisterous music and noise heard at these establishments. Honky-tonks are usually tawdry nightclubs or dance halls, especially featuring country music, and are often associated with cheap entertainment and a heavy beat in country music lyrics. The term "honky-tonk" is also linked to the emergence of rural juke joints after emancipation in the southeastern United States, providing plantation workers and sharecroppers a place to go, especially since most could not enter white establishments in the Jim Crow south.