I'm not entirely sure about pop acts. Some are decent, but there's a lot of lousy stuff.
When people are over, I find it good to spin some classical and jazz. Mozart and Beethoven slip into the background without complaint. Chopin does, too. With jazz, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans slip right in. Pop and rock are a little tougher. A playlist with Wilco can go over well, especially when mixed with classic country - Cash, Williams, Frizzell, Nelson, and others. So will a playlist of poppy Elephant 6 recordings, especially mixed with the Beatles, Beach Boys and the Kinks. Well-chosen New Wave can fit in, too.
I don't have much of an idea about modern music; it's too diversified. Though Moby goes over well. Spinning "18" or "Play" goes down well. Yeah, I know it's fashionable to hate Moby, but I've seen young and old like him. I've got friends and family from six to mid-eighties. Moby never draws a complaint.