Why was melodrama named melodrama?

Melodrama, a dramatic musical form featuring characters of extreme virtue or villainy in highly improbable situations with sensationalist emotions and music meant to enhance or imitate the action on stage, got its name in the late 1700s when it took shape.

Originally, “melodrame” came into French via Greek roots — μελος ("melos,” referring to song or a composition of music) and δράμα ("drama," referring to action that involves a person of status). Therefore, melodrama meant a “drama with music."