->''Steampunks wielding clockwork-activated switchblades got into futile staring contests with cyberpunks in their surgically-implanted mirrorshades.''
-->-- ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''

In TheEighties, authors like Creator/WilliamGibson and Creator/BruceSterling wrote dystopian novels set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, where they explored themes such as the impact of modern technology on everyday life, the rise of the global datasphere as an arena for communication, commerce, conflict, and crime, and invasive [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul cybernetic body modifications]]. The heroes of these [[FilmNoir dark and cynical]] stories were marginalized, disillusioned, and rebellious "punks" striving for survival against overwhelming odds, [[DownerEnding often futilely]], in [[CityNoir corrupt megacities]] and surreal {{cyberspace}} realms. Bruce Bethke called this {{Cyberpunk}}, and it had tremendous influence on the entire SpeculativeFiction community, spawning a whole fountain of derivatives.

William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's ''Literature/TheDifferenceEngine'' was a landmark book that was inspired by {{Cyberpunk}} but took things in a different direction. It eschewed Cyberpunk's gritty future setting for a more optimistic AlternateHistory Victorian one, but paralleled Cyberpunk's focus on the social impacts of computers with a world transformed by highly sophisticated steam engine-based technology. This created the {{Steampunk}} genre, and opened the floodgates for a whole legion of new -punk genres, all of which responded to {{cyberpunk}} in some way. They varied considerably, but all have one of the following in common with {{cyberpunk}}:
* A world built around a particular technology that is pervasive and extrapolated to a highly sophisticated level.
* A gritty or transreal urban style.
* A cyberpunk-inspired approach to exploring social themes within a SpeculativeFiction setting.

HumongousMecha and PoweredArmor are not a part of these settings ''per se'', but they're an easy visual shorthand to show how far technology has developed. Similarly, they and their derivatives ({{Chicken Walker}}s, {{Walking Tank}}s, {{Cool Airship}}s, ClockOfPower etc.) tend to show up sooner or later, particularly in LighterAndSofter works.

CassetteFuturism, RaygunGothic, RetroUniverse, SchizoTech, and UsedFuture are all common aesthetics for these genres, although they're not necessary.

It's worth noting that Punk-Punk is not its own genre, but rather an umbrella term used by TV Tropes to describe the entire web of genres that stem from Cyberpunk.

!!Punk-punk genres with their own pages include:
[[index]]
* TheApunkalypse: The rise of lawless punks leads to the downfall of civilized society, or the apocalypse brings about the emergence of lawless punks.
* [[RaygunGothic Atom Punk]]: A sleek, futuristic setting with "Atomic Power" logos on everything; popular in the [[TheFifties 1950s]], [[TheSixties 1960s]], or early-to-mid [[TheSeventies 1970s]].
* {{Biopunk}}: A gritty, futuristic setting with heavy [[OrganicTechnology biotechnology]]-inspired elements.
* {{Capepunk}}: Realistic, {{deconstructi|on}}ve takes on the superhero genre.
* CattlePunk: TheWestern with {{steampunk}} elements.
* CassetteFuturism: A futuristic setting built on late 20th century analog technology.
* ClockPunk: Widespread use of clockwork-like technologies and machinery beyond simple clocks, often in a [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance Renaissance]][=/=][[BaroqueMusic Baroque]] era setting.
* {{Cyberpunk}}: A dark and cynical genre based on the impact of advanced computer technology on society, often [[CrapsackWorld as a tool for corporate or governmental oppression]] and resistance towards it.
** CyberpunkForFlavor: A work includes cyberpunk elements and aesthetics without being fully in on the genre.
** PostCyberpunk: Cyberpunk, except in AWorldHalfFull instead of a CrapsackWorld, with an emphasis on changing the social order for the better from within rather than toppling the system entirely.
* DesertPunk: A sci-fi world set in a desert.
* DieselPunk: A retro-futuristic setting based on early 20th century technology.
* DungeonPunk: A dark and gritty world where spells, enchanted artifacts, and {{magitek}} take the place of modern technology.
* FantasticNoir: FilmNoir mysteries with a fantasy or sci-fi twist, popularized in TheEighties.
* GaslampFantasy: 19th century {{Steampunk}} settings with fantastical magic instead of technology.
* GothicPunk: A modern, fantasy setting which heavily draws on GothicHorror elements.
* GunpowderFantasy: Fantasy works based on the early modern period, roughly spanning UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance through UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, i.e. the 15th to very early 19th century.
* {{Mythpunk}}: Classical folklore and fairy tales rewritten with darker, postmodern elements.
* OceanPunk: Modern fantasy or speculative fiction set at sea, often drawing on elements from the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen.
* SandalPunk: Science fiction set in the Bronze Age up until the Middle Ages, usually drawing on AncientGrome and the Middle East (for Biblical stories).
* ScavengedPunk: Culture and technology built out of scavenged junk.
* SolarPunk: A futuristic setting based on renewable energy and sustainability.
* {{Steampunk}}: A retro-futuristic setting with steam power as the basis for advanced technology, generally with a late 19th century aesthetic.
** PhlebotinumInducedSteampunk: Advanced technology run on rare or magical materials.
* StonePunk: Modern inventions and technology but made with Stone Age materials.
* [[TeslaTechTimeline Teslapunk]]: [[LightningCanDoAnything Lightning-based]] technology attributed to Nikola Tesla's alleged scientific genius.
* UrbanFantasy: Fantastical elements in a modern setting.
[[/index]]
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