The word "rumba" can describe many different types of music that are not related to each other. In northern Cuba, the word "rumba" originally meant "party." By the late 1800s, it was used to describe a group of non-religious music styles known as Cuban rumba. Since the early 1900s, the term "rumba" has been used in many countries to describe different kinds of music and dance styles. Most of these styles are only loosely connected to the original Cuban rumba, if at all. The unclear origin of the word "rumba," along with its use in place of "guaracha" in certain types of theater, has led to the word having many different meanings worldwide. Additionally, "rumba" was the main term used to promote Cuban music in North America, West Africa, and Central Africa during much of the 20th century, before other styles like mambo, pachanga, and salsa became popular.

The word "rumba" was added to the English language in the early 1900s. Around the same time, "rumba" entered the Spanish flamenco tradition as a fast-paced style inspired by Cuban guaracha, leading to the creation of other urban music styles now called "rumba." In many parts of Latin America, "rumba" came to mean local, danceable styles influenced by Cuban music, such as Colombian rumba criolla. At the same time, "rumba" became a general term used to describe Afro-Cuban music in most African countries, eventually leading to the development of new styles based on Cuban music, such as Congolese rumba.

In Cuba

In the second half of the 1800s, Afro-Cuban workers in poor areas of Havana and Matanzas created non-religious dance music styles. These blended traditions later became known as "rumba," a word that also means "party." Traditionally, rumba has three main styles: yambú, columbia, and guaguancó. Each style has its own unique dance, rhythm, and singing. Although rumba remains a folk music style, new forms have been added since the middle of the 20th century, such as batá-rumba and guarapachangueo.

In North America

In the United States, the word "rhumba" (a version of the word rumba adapted for English) started being used in the 1920s. It referred to ballroom music that had themes from Afro-Cuban music, especially in big band music. This music was mostly inspired by son cubano, but it had different rhythms and instruments compared to Cuban rumba. By 1935, the song "The Peanut Vendor" by Don Azpiazú and the popularity of Xavier Cugat and other Latin artists helped make the genre very successful and clearly defined. The rhumba dance that developed on the East Coast of the United States was based on the bolero-son style. The first rumba competition happened at the Savoy Ballroom in 1930. Today, two styles of ballroom rumba exist: American style and International style.

From 1935 to the 1950s, the Mexican and American film industry expanded the use of the term rumba. Rumbera films became popular during this time. In these films, rumberas were Cuban and Mexican performers, including singers and actresses, who sang boleros and canciones. They rarely performed rumbas. Famous rumberas include Rita Montaner, Rosa Carmina, María Antonieta Pons, and Ninón Sevilla.

In the 1970s, when salsa became a popular music and dance style in the United States, rhythmic parts of Cuban rumba (especially guaguancó) became common alongside son. Like salsa, rhumba was then danced to salsa ensembles instead of big bands. By the end of the 20th century, rhumba was also danced to pop music and jazz bands, as seen in TV shows like Dancing with the Stars.

In Spain

In Spain, the word "rumba" was first used in the early 1900s as "rumba flamenca," which is a type of flamenco style called palo. Specifically, it is one of the cantes de ida y vuelta, a category of flamenco songs. Some believe flamenco may have influenced the vocal style of Cuban rumba. However, experts agree that rumba flamenca does not come from Cuban rumba but from guaracha, a fast-paced music style from Havana. In addition to rumba flamenca, other blended styles of Afro-Cuban origin have been called "rumba" across Spain, outside of flamenco (where the term cantes de ida y vuelta is mainly used), such as Galician rumba.

In the late 1950s, popular musicians like Peret (called "El Rey de la Rumba") and El Pescaílla created a fast-paced style that combined elements of rumba flamenca, Spanish gypsy music, and pop. This style became known as Catalan rumba (rumba catalana). In the 1980s, the style became popular worldwide because of the French group Gipsy Kings.

In the 1990s, the term "tecno-rumba" was used to describe the music of Camela and later Azúcar Moreno. Since the early 2000s, the word "rumba" in Spain has been used to describe versions of Catalan rumba that include hip hop and rock elements, as recorded by artists like Estopa, Huecco, and Melendi.

In Colombia

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, musicians in Colombia combined bambuco music with Afro-Cuban music to create a new style called rumba criolla, also known as creole rumba. Artists like Emilio Sierra, Milciades Garavito, and Diógenes Chaves Pinzón helped develop this music. Rumba criolla has different regional styles, including rumba antioqueña and rumba tolimense.

In Africa

In the 1930s and 1940s, Afro-Cuban son groups like Septeto Habanero, Trio Matamoros, and Los Guaracheros de Oriente were broadcast on Radio Congo Belge in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa). This helped their music become popular across the country in the following decades. Their recordings were also sold as part of the G.V. Series, a collection of 10-inch singles released by the British record label His Master's Voice in Africa. Later, local musicians tried to copy the sound of Cuban son, which was mistakenly called "rumba" in Africa even though it was not related to Cuban rumba. This style of music became known as Congolese rumba or rumba Lingala. By the late 1960s, Congolese rumba was widely recognized in most of Central Africa and influenced music in West and East Africa, including Muziki wa dansi. Franco’s OK Jazz and Le Grand Kallé’s African Jazz were two of the most famous Congolese rumba groups of the 20th century. A faster version of this music, called soukous (from the French word secouer, meaning "to shake"), was created in the late 1960s by bands such as African Fiesta. Soukous is often used as another name for Congolese rumba.