Popular music has existed in American education since the 1700s. However, biases related to race and class, and concern for student morality have often led educators to eliminate or suppress these musics in the classroom. Progressive teachers and students themselves sometimes advocated for popular styles, which eventually made their way into the curriculum after they were no longer popular in mainstream society. Once accepted, music educators tended to approach popular styles inauthentically and as a tool for introducing classical forms. These practices led to curricularization that is contrary to the informal nature of musicing in these genres. In this review, I synthesize primary and secondary sources to examine the history of popular music education in the United States and tensions between Western art music and popular genres in the P-12 curriculum. This essay will contribute to the history of music education, help teachers understand present practices and attitudes, and discuss implications for popular music instruction today.