The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Genre \Gen"re\ (zh[aum]N"r'), n. [F. See Gender.]
   1. Kind; genus; class; form; style, esp. in literature.

            French drama was lisping or still inarticulate; the
            great French genre of the fabliau was hardly born.
                                                  --Saintsbury.

            A particular demand . . . that we shall pay special
            attention to the matter of genres -- that is, to the
            different forms or categories of literature. --W. P.
                                                  Trent.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   2. (Fine Arts) A style of painting, sculpture, or other
      imitative art, which illustrates everyday life and
      manners.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

genre
    n 1: a kind of literary or artistic work
    2: a style of expressing yourself in writing [syn: writing
       style, literary genre, genre]
    3: an expressive style of music [syn: music genre, musical
       genre, genre, musical style]
    4: a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic
       form or technique