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[[quoteright:350:[[Music/SexPistols https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sex_pistols_jacket.png]]]]
[floatboxright:
Primary Stylistic Influences (70s Punk):
+ ProtoPunk, GarageRock, RockAndRoll, GlamRock and Pub Rock (British bands only)
]
[floatboxright:
Secondary Stylistic Influences (70s Punk):
+ {{Rockabilly}}, SurfRock, UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion, Music/{{Bubblegum}}, HardRock, AvantGardeMusic, sometimes KrautRock and {{Reggae}}
]

->''"The popularity of punk rock was, in effect, due to the fact that it made ugliness beautiful."''
-->-- '''Malcolm [=McLaren=]'''

''This page is for the musical genre. For the 2009 play, go to Theatre/PunkRock.''

Punks themselves are [[TheQuincyPunk covered elsewhere on TV Tropes]].

1-2-3-4!

Ah, Punk Rock. You just can't beat it, can you?

God, where to begin? Well, first, the music itself. Punk rock is characterised by fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. In short: if you want to be a rocker, and have [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth strong political views but little technical skill]], it's the genre to go for. That's not an insult towards punk, of course: it's just, people usually won't care. Punks do not care if they are untalented; they do it anyway. Were [[Music/SexPistols Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious]] good musicians? No. But they still played, and that was because they were punks. They didn't give a damn about what other people thought of them, and that's a view many other punks share.

{{Ahem}}. Punk bands tended to eschew the excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They also embraced a DIY aesthetic, with many bands self-producing their recordings and distributing them through informal channels.

It all started in the mid-seventies with punk scenes growing in the US, thanks to the Music/{{Ramones}}, Australia, thanks to The Saints, and the UK, thanks to the Music/SexPistols, the Music/{{Buzzcocks}}, and Music/TheClash. While the scene had been fomenting for a while, the big push of punk started, most say, in 1976 with the release of The Damned's first single and The Sex Pistols' first appearances. Out of all the first wave of punk bands, The Sex Pistols, in particular, were highly influential due to Malcolm [=McLaren=]'s clever marketing and their high visibility, even though they weren't that talented a band (not that this matters, because they're punk). They (Sex Pistols) caused quite a fair bit of controversy on several notes: [[ClusterFBomb mass swearing]] during [[RefugeInAudacity a live TV interview]]; releasing an anti-monarchy song named "God Save the Queen" for the Queen's silver jubilee; [[IntentionallyAwkwardTitle their name]], "the [[PhallicWeapon Sex Pistols]]". This controversy also [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity resulted in the punk scene exploding into success]], causing the creation of the punk subculture and, by extension, the emo and goth subcultures, too.

By the early-eighties, with the increased diversity of influences and backlash against the cardboard-cutout punk bands starting to clog the scene, standard punk rock started to get replaced by harder, faster and more aggressive styles, in particular HardcorePunk. PostPunk, a less aggressive style that focused on more complex and experimental music, also evolved out of this initial punk explosion. This gave way to PostPunk and GothRock bands such as Music/JoyDivision and Music/{{The Cure|Band}}, respectively, as well as {{New Wave|Music}} bands like Music/{{Blondie|Band}} and Music/TalkingHeads, both of which existed during the punk explosion, but only came to prominence after it had keeled over. These genres incorporated elements from other genres such as Jamaican dub and {{Krautrock}}. Punk would exert a heavy influence over various forms of AlternativeRock. Other notable subgenres of punk include Music/{{Emo}} and PopPunk.

In addition, there is the subgenre of Oi!/street punk; nominally apolitical and the self-proclaimed music of the working class. Popular among punks and skins of all races and political stripes, the genre was formed in reaction to the perceived invasion of the punk scene by college hipsters, art school students and corporate fat cats. Famous bands include: the Cockney Rejects, the Oppressed, Angelic Upstarts, Cock Sparrer, Iron Cross, and many others. [[labelnote:Special note]]There are a small number of fascist/white power affiliated groups who emulate the Oi! style. They are currently locked in a decades long battle with SHARP and redskins, as well as AFA affiliated punks. In summation, most connected to the Oi! scene are not racist, and to label them as such is a good way to get a boot to the head. Most people just refer to neo-Nazi/far-right bands as Rock Against Communism/RAC, and following suit is probably the safest way to avoid pissing anyone off. Then again, they are literal fascists, and who's in Oi! to keep things calm? Punk's early [[PuttingOnTheReich use of fascist imagery]] for shock value resulted in a proliferation of genuinely racist, rather than latently racist, bands, resulting again in increased violence and waves of action and reaction on both sides, although fascists in the scene were decried by bands ranging from The Clash to the Dead Kennedys, whose single "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" was a seminal example. [[/labelnote]]

Throughout its history, Punk has been at odds with ProgressiveRock, which is often considered to be the epitome of technical rock. Many punk musicians decried its greatly elaborate and exhibitionist nature, claiming that these characteristics were stifling and discouraging to amateur musicians. (However, this wasn't universal, and its extent has been frequently exaggerated in the press, perhaps due to critics' disdain for progressive rock. Music/JohnLydon [Johnny Rotten], for example, was an avowed fan of several seminal prog bands like Music/{{Magma}} and Music/VanDerGraafGenerator,[[note]]Lydon's outspoken praise for these groups actually became a source of tension with [=McLaren=], who felt it would conflict with the Pistols' image[[/note]] and the genre was an unmistakable influence on his later work with Music/PublicImageLtd. The two genres ultimately wound up influencing much of the same music - Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/TalkingHeads, and Music/TheFallOfTroy, to name just three disparate examples, all bear an influence from both punk and prog - and ultimately even cross-pollinated ''each other'' somewhat. The ProgressiveRock page has much further detail under the "Fandom Rivalry" trope.)

Punk has been described as the democratisation of music, since prior to its deconstruction of rock, rock had been becoming ever-more idolatrous and money-focused. Punk also helped create the next generation of independent record labels, including, most notably, Creator/FourADRecords, Creator/FactoryRecords, Rough Trade and Creator/SubPop. Interestingly, the punk ethos and fandom intersect in the early eighties, when punk 'zines were the inspiration for modern, home-produced fanzines, which eventually led to today's internet communities.

Also see [[UsefulNotes/{{Punk}} Useful Notes on Punk]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Sub-genres of Punk: ]]

[[index]]
* {{Anarchopunk}}
** CrustPunk
* DarkCabaret
* {{Emo|Music}}
** ScreamoMusic
* FolkPunk
* HardcorePunk
** {{Crossover Thrash}}
** {{Grindcore}}
** {{Metalcore}}
*** {{Deathcore}}
** PostHardcore
** {{Powerviolence}}
* HorrorPunk
* {{Queercore}}
* PopPunk
** DefendPopPunk
* PostPunk
* {{Psychobilly}}
* PunkRap
* RiotGrrrl
* SkaPunk
* UsefulNotes/StraightEdge
* StreetPunk
** [[{{Oi}} Oi!]]
* [[Literature/TheTaqwacores Taqwacore]]

!!Notable punk musicians:
[[/folder]]

[[folder: New York Punk Bands: ]]

* Music/GGAllin
* Music/ChokingVictim
* Music/DeadBoys
* Music/TheDictators
* Music/JohnnyThundersAndTheHeartbreakers
* Music/MinkDeville (also NewWaveMusic)
* Music/{{Mumps}}
* Music/PattiSmith
** 1976 - ''Music/{{Horses}}''
** 1976 - ''Music/RadioEthiopia''
** 1978 - ''Music/{{Easter}}''
** 1979 - ''Music/{{Wave}}''
* Music/{{Ramones}}
** 1976 - ''Music/{{Ramones|Album}}''
** 1977 - ''Music/LeaveHome''
** 1977 - ''Music/RocketToRussia''
** 1978 - ''Music/RoadToRuin''
** 1980 - ''Music/EndOfTheCentury''
** Joey Ramone
*** 2002 - ''Music/DontWorryAboutMe''
* Music/RichardHellAndTheVoidoids
* Music/{{Suicide|Band}}
* Music/TalkingHeads (also PostPunk; specifically began as an "art punk" outfit and continued to feature punk as a heavy element in their sound up until the mid-80's)
** 1977 - ''Music/TalkingHeads77''
** 1978 - ''Music/MoreSongsAboutBuildingsAndFood''
** 1979 - ''Music/FearOfMusic''
** 1980 - ''Music/RemainInLight''
*** 1981 - "Music/OnceInALifetime"
** 1983 - ''Music/SpeakingInTongues''
** 1984 - ''Film/StopMakingSense''
* Music/{{Television}} (also PostPunk)
** 1977 - ''Music/MarqueeMoon''
* Music/TitusAndronicus
** 2010 - ''Music/TheMonitor''
* Music/TuffDarts(also PowerPop)
* Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety

[[/folder]]

[[folder: British Punk Bands: ]]

* [[Music/NineNineNine 999]]
* Music/AdamAndTheAnts
* Music/TheAdicts
* Music/TheAdverts
* Music/BadNerves
* Music/TheBoys
* Music/TheBoomtownRats (though they lean towards NewWaveMusic as well)
* Music/{{Buzzcocks}}
* Music/{{Chelsea}}
* Music/{{Chumbawamba}}
* Music/TheClash
** 1977 - ''Music/TheClashAlbum''
** 1979 - ''Music/LondonCalling''
** 1980 - ''Music/{{Sandinista}}''
** 1985 - ''Music/CutTheCrap''
* Music/{{Crass}} (co-UrExample for HardcorePunk)
* Music/TheDamnedBand
* Music/IanDuryAndTheBlockheads
* Music/{{Eater}}
* Music/EddieAndTheHotRods (the missing link between British Punk Rock and PubRock)
* Music/TheExploited (widely believed to be the ones who popularized the mohawk as part of the "punk style")
* Music/FluxOfPinkIndians
* Music/GenerationX (notable for being Music/BillyIdol's first band)
* [[Music/{{Idles}} IDLES]]
* Music/TheJam
* Music/JoyDivision (VERY early work, mostly when they were still known as "Warsaw". Later became the {{Trope Codifier}}s for PostPunk)
** 1988 - ''Music/{{Substance|JoyDivisionAlbum}}'' (includes the early punk EP ''An Ideal for Living'')
* Music/ManicStreetPreachers
* Music/TheMembers
* Music/NewModelArmy
* Music/TheOnlyOnes (also NewWaveMusic and PowerPop)
* Music/JohnOtway & Music/WildWillyBarrett
* Music/TheOutsiders
* Music/{{Penetration}}
* Music/TheRezillos
* Music/TheRuts
* Music/SexPistols
** 1977 - ''Music/NeverMindTheBollocksHeresTheSexPistols''
** Music/JohnLydon
** Music/SidVicious
*** 1979 - ''Music/SidSings''
* Music/TheShapes
* Music/SiouxsieAndTheBanshees (before they went GothRock, anyways)
* Music/TheSkids
* Music/StiffLittleFingers
* Music/TheStranglers
* Music/ToyDolls
* Music/{{Ultravox}} (Their first two albums with John Foxx as Ultravox!)
* Music/TheUndertones
* Music/TheVibrators
* Music/TheWho - Probably the UrExample of this trope, being part of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion and cited as an influence by Music/TheClash, Music/SexPistols, Music/TheRamones, and Music/GreenDay, while defining the [[ScooterRidingMod Mod scene]] of the [=1960s=], and popularizing the RockOpera.
* Music/{{Wire}}
** 1977 - ''Music/PinkFlag''
** 1978 - ''Music/ChairsMissing''
* [[Music/XRaySpex X-Ray Spex]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Los Angeles Punk Bands: ]]

* Music/BadReligion
* Music/BlackFlag
** 1981 - ''Music/{{Damaged|Album}}''
* Music/CircleJerks
* Music/{{Descendents}}
* Music/TheDils
* Music/TheDistillers
* Music/TheFleshEaters
* Music/TheGerms
* Music/JoanJett and the Blackhearts
* Music/TheLindaLindas
* Music/{{Minutemen}}
* Music/{{Lagwagon}}
* Music/{{NOFX}}
* Music/ThePlugz
* Music/TheRunaways
* Music/{{TSOL}}
* Music/TheWeirdos
* Music/XUSBand
* Music/TheZeros

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other Punk Bands: ]]

* Music/{{Adolescents}}
* Music/{{AJJ}}
* Music/AntiFlag
* Music/AtTheDriveIn
* Music/AtomAndHisPackage
* Music/{{Avengers}}
* Music/BabesInToyland
* Music/BadBrains
* Music/TheBatteredWives
* Music/{{BiS}}
* Music/TheCasualties
* Music/TheChats
* Music/{{Crime}}
* Music/TheDarkestOfTheHillsideThickets
* Music/DeadKennedys
** 1985 - ''Music/{{Frankenchrist}}''
** Music/JelloBiafra
* Music/TheDeadMilkmen
* Music/TheDemics
* Music/TheDirtbombs
* Music/TheDishrags
* Music/TheDiodes
* Music/{{DOA}}
* Music/DollSkin
* Music/{{DMZ}}
* Music/TheDwarves
* Music/TheExplodingHearts
** 2003 - ''Music/GuitarRomantic''
* Music/TheForgottenRebels
* Music/DieGoldenenZitronen
* Music/GreenDay
** 1994 - ''Music/{{Dookie}}''
** 1995 - ''Music/{{Insomniac}}''
** 1997 - ''Music/{{Nimrod}}''
** 2000 - ''Music/{{Warning}}''
** 2004 - ''Music/AmericanIdiot''
** 2009 - ''Music/TwentyFirstCenturyBreakdown''
** 2016 - ''Music/RevolutionRadio''
* Music/GreenJelly
* Music/NinaHagen
* Music/TheHives
* Music/{{Jawbreaker}}
* Music/{{Kuroyume}}
* Music/TheLawrenceArms
* Music/LeftoverCrack
* Music/LudwigVon88
* Music/ManOrAstroMan
* Music/TheManikins
* Music/TheMenzingers
* Music/MinorThreat
* Music/MischiefBrew
* Music/{{Misfits}}
* Music/{{Nomeansno}}
* Music/TheOffspring
** 1994 - ''[[Music/SmashAlbum Smash]]''
* Music/OnkelKonkelAndHisKonkelbar
* Music/ThePagans
* Music/PansyDivision
* Music/PatTheBunny
* Music/ThePlasmatics
* Music/EmilyPukisAndTheVagrants
* Music/TheRealKids
* Music/RadioBirdman
* Music/RareAmericans
* Music/RubberCityRebels
* Music/TheSaints
* Music/SchoolyardHeroes
* Music/ScreamingFemales
* Music/ShutUpSidney
* Music/SocialDistortion
* Music/TheStooges (widely considered the UrExample of what punk would come to be, to the point it is sometimes classified as "Proto-Punk")
* Music/TheSuicideCommandos (not to be confused with the Music/{{Industrial}} group with the similar name)
* Music/SumoCyco
* Music/{{Tankcsapda}}
* Music/TeenageHead
* Music/{{Tocotronic}}
* Music/DieTotenHosen
* Music/ViktorTsoi
* Music/{{Vazzyrock}}
* Music/TheViletones
[[/index]]
----