Today, the term Spoken Word is used to refer to several different art forms. The first is literally the spoken word, a person reads aloud from printed material, sometimes recording the reading and turning it into an audio book. The second is a poet who reads their poetry aloud, and the third, most often distinguished from the others by the term Slam Poetry, is a writer who writes specifically for their words to be read aloud, usually emphasizing the beat and meter of the delivery. Slam Poetry is not necessarily poetry, but includes many other styles of writing.

Most people credit the return of Spoken Word as a popular artform to the Beat Movement in the 50s and 60s. One of the hallmarks of the Beat Generation was to begin to read poetry aloud with music.

In the 80s, Spoken Word began to see its renaissance in the urban hip-hop movement. Words and phrases, while remaining important were constructed not just to be accompanied by music, but to become a part of the music themselves. From out of the hip-hop community rose the Slam Poets. Slams are usually elimination competitions in which poets vie for audience popularity, advancing in rounds until a winner emerges. Slamming actually has a historical root in 10th century Japan where Waka competitions were held pitting poet against poet as they tried to win audience approval.

Today, Spoken Word encompasses all oral traditions, poetic or not. It is returning to its roots as an expression of both the private experience of life and a means of communicating experience and happenings within and between communities. Spoken Word can be found across the world at open mics, theaters, bars, on Internet radio stations and recordings of poets, books and monologues are available almost everywhere.

A Performance Poet is more likely to see the use of music as an extension of their words rather than just a means to emphasize them. Closely related to Performance Art, the total presentation that the Performance Poet organizes is as much a part of the poem as the words themselves.