Doo-Wop, despite being popular in the 1950s, can be traced back to the 1940s in major cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Groups of young African Americans, who were often poor, could not afford proper instrumentation, so they improvised with their voice. Inspired by jazz, swing, and gospel, young black men would sing in school gyms, parties, and under street lamps.

Two major doo-wop influence groups were The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers. The Ink Spots, with songs such as "I Don't Want To Set The World on Fire", harmonized in tight harmonies and a range of vocals whereas The Mills Brothers, sang in barbershop-like harmonies and sang old African American spirituals.

Doo-wop wasn't called doo-wop: it was simply called rhythm and blues. It wasn't until 1961 that the term "doo-wop" emerged in the music genre in The Chicago Defender. However, doo-wop, in a way, is much different than rhythm and blues. The lyrics were about love or heartbreak; vocals were separated by range or tightly together, nonsense syllables (hence where the term "doo-wop" comes from) followed by the same or similar chord progression, and mostly made up of four or five young men.

By the early 1950s, groups such as Sonny Till & The Orioles and The Moonglows became dominant, combining techniques by both The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers. As early doo-wop began to slowly trickle into the charts, teenagers were buying the records. These records were mostly slow, with little to no instrumentation.

However, with racial segregation came re-recordings of doo-wop numbers, originally recorded by blacks, now by white groups. Some examples are "Sh-Boom" by The Crew Cuts (Originally done by The Chords) and "Sincerely" by The McGuire Sisters (originally performed by The Moonglows). (Rock and roll also faced segregation. Perhaps one of the biggest re-recordings was Pat Boone covering Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame").

By the mid-1950s, doo-wop transformed, adding multiple instrumentations. Songs now had instruments such as the electric guitar, saxophone, and piano. A great example of this change is the song "My Memories of You" by The Harptones. Originally recorded in 1955, the song was mostly vocals with a quiet organ in the background. A year later, the group re-recorded the song but added piano, bass, a full horn section, drums, and an electric guitar. At the same time, rock and roll became mainstream, which doo-wop was very much a part of. Now, groups such as The Teenagers, The Cadillacs, and The Drifters were neck and neck in the charts with acts such as Little Richard, Elvis, and Chuck Berry. Although some of the songs were slower, this period of doo-wop included faster, up-tempo songs. Teenagers were buying the records, helping the songs reach in national charts. Another key thing that made doo-wop stand out against rock and roll was that, unlike rock that was recorded by "older" men, doo-wop was music for teenagers made by teenagers. Many of these performers were often in high school when they made it big.

Mixed racial groups such as the Del-Vikings and The Crests soon hit the stage as well as white groups (that were mostly Italian) such as The Belmonts topped the charts as well. Taking inspiration from black rhythm and blues and doo-wop, white doo-wop became popular in the late 1950s, trickling into the early 1960s. Most of these groups, whether black or white, were mostly one-hit wonders. Others (including some of the groups mentioned above) had a few hits, before disbanding or changing genres.

By 1964, commercialized doo-wop was dead. The last top ten hits for the genre were in 1963, with Dion's rendition of "Drip Drop" (no. 6 on the Billboard Top 100) and "Denise" by Randy and The Rainbows (no. 10 on the Billboard Top 100). The next stage of music that attracted teenagers was the British Invasion which included groups such The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Animals which ultimately "killed" doo-wop.

"Till Then" by The Ink Spots (1944)

"My Memories Of You" By The Harptones (1955)

"Pretty Little Girl" by The Monarchs (1956)

"My Juanita" by The Crests (1958)

"Denise" by Randy & The Rainbows (1963)

The Teenagers rose to fame in 1955 with their hit "Why Do Fools Fall In Love". Frontman Frankie Lymon was only 13 when he recorded and co-wrote the song.

The Del-Vikings were one of the most successful mixed-race groups, with hits including "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells".