Yes, indeed: música de cabaretes y cafetines, música de orilla.This is of course true. Bachata was the music of the Cabarets and the dancing style was considered lascivious and was geared towards the whores and men who were cheating on their wives.
Bachata was played mainly in Radio Guarachita, and it dealt with broken hearts, as well. Now, thanks to Aventura and Romeo, bachata has traveled all over. However, some would argue that it was J.L. Guerra's "Bachata Rosa" and/or Antony Santos's "Voy pa' allá" that made bachata palpable to the masses.