I recently watched an entertaining new documentary — or, as it’s billed, a “dockumentary” — about the genre of music that’s retroactively come to be known as “yacht rock.”

You might be familiar with the term, which encapsulates a disparate scene of mostly California-based musicians who brought jazz, soul and R&B influences to mainstream pop and soft rock in the late 1970s: Think Kenny Loggins, Toto, Christopher Cross and just about any song with backing or lead vocals by Michael McDonald. What you might not realize is that the term “yacht rock” was coined by a ragtag group of comedians who lovingly parodied some of those musicians in a beloved web series that premiered in 2005.

“Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary,” streaming on Max, features interviews with J.D. Ryznar, a creator of the web series, as well as Loggins, Cross, McDonald and a host of the other artists who defined the genre’s sound — even if it wasn’t considered a genre at the time. “To us it was just the next logical step in making pop music,” Loggins says in the film.

Regardless of what you call it (“smooth music,” “the West Coast sound” and “progressive R&B pop” are all offered), Price’s documentary makes the case that this was indeed a unified scene, driven by overlapping influences, shared personnel and playfully competitive studio one-upsmanship. The documentary ultimately offers a deeper appreciation of this sometimes-maligned music.

Listening to this playlist on a decent pair of speakers or headphones is a must; donning a captain’s hat is entirely optional.

1. The Doobie Brothers: “What a Fool Believes.” In 1975, Michael McDonald — who had been a backing vocalist in Steely Dan — joined California rock group the Doobie Brothers. With his unassuming bearing and a surprisingly velvety voice, McDonald transformed the band from a gruff rock outfit into a harbinger of the breezy, sophisticated sound that would soon take over radio airwaves. In 1978, McDonald co-wrote what would become one of the defining hits of the era, the Grammy-winning No. 1 single “What a Fool Believes,” with fellow yacht-rocker Kenny Loggins. McDonald’s voice soars effortlessly from his lower register to his angelic falsetto, giving the chorus a wistful power.

2. Steely Dan: “Peg.” The documentary touches on one of the more hotly debated philosophical questions of this genre: Is Steely Dan yacht rock? My complicated answer: sometimes yes, sometimes no. The first few albums rock a little too hard, in my estimation — but the smooth complexity of “Aja” and “Gaucho” fit the genre perfectly. In fact, one of the quintessential moments of yacht rock (which often indulged in lush studio experimentation) is the doubling of McDonald’s backing vocals on the chorus of “Peg.” Though Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen wanted no part in the film, Steely Dan producer Gary Katz makes an appearance and recalls Fagen saying, when he first heard the playback of McDonald’s voice, “He sounds like a thousand camels in the courtyard.”

3. Toto: “Georgy Porgy.” The Porcaro brothers — drummer Jeff, bassist Mike and keyboardist Steve — and their friend David Paich were prolific, widely respected session musicians in late 1970s Los Angeles. Even after forming Toto and finding instant success, the band’s members continued to work on other artists’ records — most notably on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” This lightly funky tune, sung by Steve Lukather, was one of three hit singles from Toto’s 1978 debut album.

4. Christopher Cross: “Never Be the Same.” With his multiplatinum self-titled debut album in 1979, Texas-born singer-songwriter Christopher Cross morphed into a superstar overnight. The next year, he became the first artist to sweep all four of the Grammys’ all-genre categories — record, song and album of the year as well as best new artist. Though Cross’ hit “Sailing” is the more obvious choice (and a rare yacht rock song that is actually about a boat), I’m partial to this midtempo, melancholic soft rocker.

5. Ambrosia: “Biggest Part of Me.” When Los Angeles band Ambrosia was opening for the Doobie Brothers on a late 1970s tour, McDonald gave frontman David Pack some songwriting advice: If you’re looking for some really out-there chord progressions, check out George Frideric Handel’s practice books. Pack took note and soon after came up with the foundation of this dreamy 1980 tune, which would become one of the band’s biggest hits.