Context: Adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on melody and harmonies is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, and is inoffensive and pleasurable enough to work well as background music. Like most of pop music, its songs tend to be written in a basic format employing a verse–chorus structure.

Question: Along with harmonies, what aspect of music is emphasized in adult contemporary?
Answer: melody

Question: What is the typical structure of an adult contemporary song?
Answer: verse–chorus structure

Question: With what broader style of music does adult contemporary share its structure?
Answer: pop music

Question: Along with being pleasurable, what trait makes adult contemporary appropriate for background music?
Answer: inoffensive