When a spring is compressed, what type of energy does it store?

When a spring is compressed, it stores elastic potential energy. This type of energy is associated with the deformation of an elastic object, such as a spring. When you compress the spring, you do work on it, which changes its shape and allows it to store energy. The spring will then release this stored energy when it returns to its original shape after the force compressing it is removed. This is different from gravitational potential energy, which is related to an object's height in a gravitational field, kinetic energy that involves the motion of an object, and chemical energy which is related to the bonds within molecules. Hence, elastic potential energy is specifically the energy stored due to the elastic deformation of springs and similar objects.