the genre reached rio de janeiro in the 1957 carnival when it was performed by the competing block batutas de são josé and it was love at first 'sound' - this triggered the ascent of the popularity of the genre and a new generation of artists gained fame by embracing it and has been a carnival 'must' ever since.

today, this genre is alive and well listened in every carnival event through brazil as well as on most other mass celebrations like popular festivals and soccer matches.

some of the biggest contemporary frevo bands include spok frevo orquestra, alceu valença, claudionor germano, gustavo travassos, almir rouche, and nena queiroga.