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Neo-folk
In spite of the fact that people get very different (sometimes confused) notions about what this means, I've found this description very useful. It covers a wide range of styles, some of which are pretty mellow while others are almost rock and roll. The main thing which holds these styles together under this one definition seems to be the prominent use of acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments. Unlike many musical categories in which the performers are not the primary songwriters, neo- folk also seems to favor the performance of the songs by the songwriters themselves who also frequently accompany themselves. While the relationship between newer folk styles and earlier ones is generally apparent, neo-folk shouldn't be misconstrued as necessarily ``mellow" (though it sometimes is) or as a rehashing of sixties protest songs (though it tends to be more political in nature, I think, than many other categories of music).If you're interested in examples of people I consider to be neo-folk artists, take a look at my list of influences.