|Stylistic origins||Rock and roll • folk • rockabilly • ska • surf rock • garage rock • glam rock • pub rock • protopunk|
|Cultural origins||Mid-1970s, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia|
|Typical instruments||Vocals • electric guitar • bass • drums • occasional use of other instruments|
|Mainstream popularity||Topped charts in UK during late 1970s. International commercial success for pop punk and ska-punk, mid-1990s–2000s.|
|Derivative forms||New Wave • post-punk • Gothic rock • alternative rock • grunge • emo|
|Anarcho-punk • art punk • Christian punk • crust punk • garage punk • glam punk • hardcore punk • oi! • Riot Grrrl • skate punk|
|2 Tone • anti-folk • avant-punk • Celtic punk • Chicano punk • cowpunk • folk punk • Gaelic punk • Gypsy punk • pop punk • psychobilly • punk blues • punk jazz • ska punk|
Punk rock (or "punk") is a music genre related to rock music. It is often described as harder, louder, and cruder than other rock music. Many punk rock songs have lyrics (words) which tell angry stories or which use rude or controversial words.
About punk rock[change]
Punk rock is a style of music. Many musicians and punk rock music listeners ("punk rockers") want to protest or rebel against the norms or rules of society. Punks say that people should "Do It Yourself", which means that people should try to accomplish their goals using the materials in their own communities. Many punk bands make their own music recordings and distribute them without using a major record company.
Many punks have strong political beliefs. Punk rock musicians are often mad at the government, the police, and laws. Many punk rock songs protest injustice, lies, and unfairness in countries. Almost all punks are leftists, who believe that a country should share the products and food that it produces with all the people in the country. Some punks are vegetarian or vegans, because they believe that animals should not be killed for food. Some punks are anarchists. Very few punks are conservative, libertarian, or Republican.
Punk rock developed in New York City in the mid-1970s. Bands like The Ramones, Television, The Heartbreakers, Blondie, and Patti Smith played loud, angry songs. Many bands played at a club called CBGB's. The music soon spread to Australia and Britain, were bands started playing punk rock in 1976-1977. British bands like Buzzcocks, The Clash, The Damned, Generation X, The Jam, and Sex Pistols played punk rock music that was inspired by the music being played in New York, as well as by garage rock, pub rock, and other protopunk music.
These early "punks" rejected the excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. They often did controversial things, such as saying bad words in public. Many newspapers wrote articles about the "bad" behavior of punk rock musicians.
In the 1980s, a new type of punk rock called "hardcore punk" or "hardcore" developed. Punk rock music began being mixed with Heavy Metal rock music. Many hardcore bands began playing in the United States.
In the 1990s, punk rock began being mixed with pop music to create a new lighter style of music called pop-punk. Pop-punk bands include Green Day and Good Charlotte. Some pop-punk bands mixed punk rock with ska music.
Pop-punk was still popular in the 2000s. Some people who like the 1970s-style punk rock criticize pop-punk because pop-punk is commercialized.
Some people say that punk rock is dead. But that is not true, because the spirit lives on and many punk rockers are around today.
- Bad Brains
- Bad Religion
- Black Flag
- The Clash
- Dead Kennedys
- Green Day
- Iggy Pop
- Meat Puppets
- Minor Threat
- The Misfits
- New York Dolls
- The Offspring
- The Sex Pistols
- Social Distortion
- "punk rock" (in English). Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 2010. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punk+rock. Retrieved 23 January 2010.