Generic Keyword is a non-branded search term that describes a category, feature or task — such as "photo editor" or "budget planner" — rather than naming a specific app or company.
Generic keywords are the counterpart to branded ones. A branded search names an app the user already knows; a generic search describes what they need, which makes it the main route by which people who have never heard of an app find it. Apple Ads builds its recommended campaign structure around the split, defining a category campaign as one that focuses on "non-branded keywords that describe your app's category or genre and what your app does." On the App Store, generic terms reach search through the app name, subtitle, keyword field and category; on Google Play, through the title and descriptions.
Because every app in a category chases the same broad terms, head generic keywords are usually the hardest to win. Apple's own guidance notes that popular, functional terms such as "jobs" or "social" may drive a lot of traffic but are highly competitive, especially for newer or smaller apps — and it tells developers to skip terms too broad for the app or category, like "app" or "game." The practical path is to target specific generic phrases the app can credibly rank for, build download velocity and ratings there, then contest the head term once the app has the authority to hold it.
Example
A new receipt-scanning app can't yet win "expense tracker", where established apps dominate. It targets narrower generic phrases — "receipt scanner", "mileage log" — in its subtitle and keyword field, earns steady rankings, and revisits the head term once download velocity and ratings have built up.