Punk rock
Punk rock is a fast, stripped-down rock genre that emerged in the 1970s, known for raw sound, short songs, and an anti-establishment ethos.
Garage rock: A raw, energetic rock style associated with amateur bands, distorted guitars, and simple arrangements. Its rough sound and DIY performance helped shape punk rock’s musical template.
Power chord: A guitar chord built from a root note and its fifth, often played with distortion in rock music. Its movable, uncluttered shape supports punk’s direct guitar riffs.
Ramones: An American band formed in New York in 1974, known for short, fast songs and a stripped-down sound. Their compact songs became a defining model for punk’s musical speed and simplicity.
New wave music: A broad late-1970s and 1980s pop-rock movement that developed from punk and incorporated more varied sounds and production. New wave grew from punk scenes but often favored polished arrangements and broader pop appeal.
DIY ethic: A cultural principle of making, organizing, and distributing things independently rather than depending on established institutions. Punk helped make DIY practice a durable model for music and independent culture.
The Stooges: An American rock band formed in 1967, known for abrasive performances and influential early albums. Their confrontational sound and stage presence anticipated punk’s intensity.
Distortion: An audio effect that alters a signal’s waveform, producing a rougher, compressed, or harsher tone. Punk guitarists use it to make simple parts sound abrasive and forceful.
Sex Pistols: A British punk band formed in 1975, known for confrontational performances and the album Never Mind the Bollocks. They brought punk into national British public debate through music and controversy.
Post-punk: A late-1970s and 1980s movement that extended punk’s independence while exploring experimental sounds and structures. Post-punk retained punk’s break with convention but moved beyond its stripped-down musical formula.
Riot grrrl: A feminist punk movement that developed in the early 1990s, combining music, activism, and independent publishing. It adapted punk’s DIY networks to confront sexism and build feminist community.