Encore is what an audience shouts when they want a performer to come back and do more after a concert or show has ended. When a musician finishes their last planned song and the crowd keeps clapping, cheering, and yelling “Encore!”, they're asking for one more performance.

Musicians who get called back for an encore usually play one or two additional songs as a thank-you to their enthusiastic fans. Sometimes performers plan their encores ahead of time, knowing the audience will want more. Other times, the response is so overwhelming that they genuinely feel compelled to return to the stage.

The word can also mean any additional performance beyond what was scheduled. At a piano recital, if everyone loved a particular piece, the pianist might play it again as an encore. Outside of music, people sometimes use the word playfully: if you bake amazing cookies and everyone asks you to make them again, someone might joke that they're requesting an encore of your baking.

Getting called back for an encore is one of the best feelings a performer can experience. It means the audience doesn't want the magic to end yet.