What word does participle “leading” modify? And does it show the result of the action or reason of the action?

This kind of controversy commonly surrounds newer genres of music, as the perception of genres when they first emerge tends to be mixed, leading to delayed mainstream acceptance.

Question

What word does participle “leading” modify? And does it show the result of the action or reason of the action?

This kind of controversy commonly surrounds newer genres of music, as the perception of genres when they first emerge tends to be mixed, leading to delayed mainstream acceptance.

Answer

This is a reduced relative clause.

"This kind of controversy ..., leading to delayed mainstream acceptance."
is equivalent to
"This kind of controversy ..., which leads to delayed mainstream acceptance."

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