First came "Noise". The Futurists of the early 1900's made auditory art using items from the Industrial period. Music was made with train whistles and machine sounds.
1975 - Throbbing Gristle started making Noise. They were angry with their government and how the future was progressing. They used sounds from the latest technologies: white noise, synthesizers, music concrète, sequencers, etc... They wanted to spread their message, so they started there own label called Industrial Records.
A few years later, Monte Cazazza, a composer with Industrial Records, is credited as inventing the term "Industrial Music".
So, pretty much, every band released under Industrial Records could be considered INDUSTRIAL:
Cabaret Voltaire
Clock DVA
SPK
Thomas Leer
Robert Rental
Monte Cazazza
The movement then spread around Europe: but it is important to understand that by adding other forms of music or traditional instruments played in traditional manners to INDUSTRIAL music, it then becomes POST-INDUSTRIAL:
DAF - Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft
Fad Gadget
Depeche Mode, utilized some Industrial sounds
Front 242 - Consistently INDUSTRIAL, however they pursued a more electronic variant of the sound that they called EBM (electronic body movement).
In the 1980s, Front 242 got signed under an American label and the sound came to North America: Skinny Puppy Ministry
Then in the late 1980's Trent Rezor (Nine Inch Nails), who was a huge fan of Ministry, put out his first album. In 1989, Nine Inch Nails, brought POST-INDUSTRIAL MUSIC to the mainstream, with a more commercial sound, but the fundamentals of experimental sounds and political anger were still there. NIN is still putting out post-industrial music, and really brought attention to it and the ideology of the original INDUSTRIAL music.
As people played with the concepts of INDUSTRIAL, new subgenera popped up. All can fall under the Post-Industrial:
Ambient Industrial: blends the atmospheric and textural elements of ambient music with the often harsh, noisy, and industrial sounds of industrial music. Examples: Coil
Death Industrial: characterized by a dark, oppressive atmosphere, harsh noise, and often distorted vocals. Examples: Brighter Death Now
Electro-Industrial: blends elements of electronic body music (EBM) with industrial music. Example: Skinny Puppy
EBM: Electronic Body Music, blends dance-friendly, often repetitive, electronic beats with darker, sometimes militaristic or dystopian, themes and vocal styles. It's generally characterized by a 4/4 beat, synthetic basslines, and vocals that can range from pop-like to shouted commands. Example: Front 242
Industrial Hip-Hop: blends the aggressive, electronic sounds of industrial music with the rhythmic elements and lyrical content of hip-hop. Example: Death Grips
Industrial Metal: fuses heavy metal music with elements of industrial music, characterized by the use of electronic instruments, synthesizers, and distorted vocals. It often incorporates repeating metal riffs, sampling, and propulsive beats. Example: Nine Inch Nails
Industrial Rock: blend rock music elements with industrial music techniques, often characterized by heavy distortion, electronic sounds, and aggressive rhythms. They use rock instruments like guitar, bass, and drums alongside synthesizers, drum machines, and samples, creating a sound that's both rock and electronic. Example: Fear Factory
Industrial Dance: fuse industrial music elements with danceable rhythms and electronic instruments, often incorporating harsh, distorted sounds and themes of industrial machinery or dystopia. Example: Front Line Assembly
Martial Industrial: incorporates military-themed elements, such as marches, historical speeches, and lyrics with political or philosophical themes. Examples: Allerseelan
Neofolk: a genre that blends folk music, industrial music, and other experimental sounds. It emerged from the 1980s British post-punk and industrial scene and is characterized by its use of both acoustic and electronic instruments, often incorporating themes of folklore, paganism, and occultism. Example: Current 93
Power Noise: often described as rhythmic noise or rhythm 'n' noise, that blends industrial sounds with elements of electronic dance music. Example: Esplendor Geometrico
Witch House: is a dark electronic subgenre known for its occult themes and experimental soundscapes, often incorporating elements of hip-hop and industrial music. Example: Whitehouse, Sutcliffe Jügend, The Grey Wolves, Brighter Death Now.