Post-dubstep is a tag used to distinguish between artists that primarily make variations of dubstep, and musicians that employ elements of the genre while being seperate from its main movement. Musically, artists considered post-dubstep share some amount of sonic similarity with dubstep, while maintaining differences such as a movement away from the emphasis on LFO-processed (wobbly) basslines, 2-step based structure, and 'bass drops' that some see as essentials to the essence of dubstep. Noticeably, many post-dubstep releases share some overlap between dubstep and other electronic music forms, encompassing elements of ambient music, IDM and early 2000s contemporary RnB.

While similar tags such as ambient dubstep, brostep and experimental dubstep exist, these tags generally feature artists with a basis in dubstep music, adding in elements from other genres, while post-dubstep is seen to encompass artists whom use dubstep techniques and elements more as a contributing element to a track, rather than a primary focus.