I tend to think new Wave as Blondie, "Whip it"-era Devo, B-52's as well as skiny-tie power-pop like the Knack ("My sharona") and a very time-specific type of semi-edgy guitar/keyboard-pop (example:Martha&the Muffins "Echo beach":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQkIEkxm7k as well as many Go-Go's songs like this one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RHTiXvELNg).

Basically, an umbrella-term for the more audience/pop-friendly post-punk (as a musical era, NOT genre).The *genres* Post-punk and No Wave are IMO better used for music that was more challenging, dark, bleak, edgy etc. So basically, I would never call P.I.L. or Joy Division (or Bauhaus) "New Wave".

I do not really think of synth-pop like (early) Depeche Mode, Yazoo (4and by extension Erasure), Soft Cell etc. as New Wave either; it's the same era but I think it comes from a somewhat different lineage, more removed from punk...

Anyway, that's just how I understand the term