Although they are extremely simple in form, their popularity with audiences is far greater than other forms of spoken-word art, like shuoshu (story telling), pingshu (stories half-spoken and half-sung), jingyun dagu (oration in the Beijing accent accompanied by drums), zhubanshu (stories accompanied by rhythms beaten on a bamboo block) or taiping geci (a form of lyrical oration).
其實，相聲只是說唱藝術的一種形式，雖然表演形式極為簡單，受觀眾歡迎的程度卻遠非其他曲藝如說書、評書、京韻大鼓、竹板書、太平歌詞所能相比。