Punk subculture
A youth culture centered on punk rock, DIY creativity, anti-establishment attitudes, distinctive fashion, and related forms of expression.
Punk rock: A rock genre marked by short, forceful songs, stripped-down arrangements, and confrontational performance. The music gave the subculture its name, venues, bands, and shared repertoire.
New York punk: The early-1970s music scene centered on New York venues, bands, and independent artistic networks. Its clubs and performers helped establish punk’s first recognizable scene.
Vivienne Westwood: A British fashion designer whose early work helped define punk clothing. Her designs turned rebellion into a deliberately constructed visual language.
Punk zine: An independently produced periodical that circulates punk writing, art, music, and scene news. Zines let participants publish outside commercial media and document local scenes.
New wave music: A broad popular-music movement that developed from punk-era experimentation and adopted more varied sounds and production. Its growing polish and stylistic range contrasted with punk’s persistent celebration of rawness.
DIY ethic: A principle of making, organizing, and distributing things independently rather than relying on established institutions. Independent records, zines, shows, and clothing made punk’s rejection of gatekeepers practical.
CBGB: A New York music club that became a central venue for punk and new wave in the 1970s. The club brought early punk bands and audiences into sustained contact.
Poly Styrene: The singer of X-Ray Spex, known for sharp lyrics and a distinctive voice. Her performance challenged narrow expectations of punk femininity and appearance.
Riot grrrl: A feminist punk movement that emerged in the early 1990s through music, zines, and local organizing. It adapted punk’s DIY infrastructure to address sexism and gendered violence.
Post-punk: A late-1970s and 1980s movement that extended punk’s independence into more experimental music. It kept punk’s exploratory impulse while moving beyond punk rock’s basic musical template.