Punk
Emerged in mid-1970s New York and London
Three chords and the truth. Fast, loud, and furious.
Punk was a Molotov cocktail thrown at the bloated prog-rock establishment of the mid-1970s. It stripped rock down to its barest essentials, three chords, two minutes, one message, and proved that attitude mattered more than technique.
From the Ramones' bubblegum velocity to the Sex Pistols' calculated chaos to Black Flag's unhinged aggression, punk's influence extends far beyond its own genre boundaries. It created the DIY infrastructure that alternative music still runs on.
Defining Characteristics
—Fast tempos
—Short songs
—Simple chord progressions
—DIY ethos
—Anti-establishment lyrics
—Raw production
Essential Artists
Essential Albums
1976
Ramones—Ramones
1977
Never Mind the Bollocks—Sex Pistols
1979
London Calling—The Clash
1981
Damaged—Black Flag
1980
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables—Dead Kennedys