The History of Punk Rock

Many people have a different definition of punk rock which leads to many people arguing over where punk rock came from. While it also started overseas (mainly in the UK), punk is still predominantly American music. The term “punk” came about in the early 70s to describe bands who played without any music training and broke rules of music because they did not know they existed. (Fun fact—the term punk was borrowed from a prison slang, meaning a worthless person and it tended to be used as a general term of abuse or insult.) 

Punk is characterized by a few key traits—fast tempos, loud and distorted riffs, simple songs, frequent use of power chords, and shouted vocals. They’re lyrics are also very aggressive and confrontational and focus on things that tend to have an anti-establishment agenda or be against the norm in society. It became an archetype of teen rebellion and alienation. In short, punk is a rebellion of the 70s, punk wanted to challenge everything about music at the time. 

Now to where punk geographically came from. Opened in New York City in 1973, CBGB, or Country, Blue Grass, and Blues, was intended to be a club for the music in its namesake. However it ended up being home for American punk and new wave bands. From the 1980s and onwards, it ended up being known for hardcore punk. Bands like Murphy's Law, Sick of It All, and Youth of Today would become synonymous with CBGB. In the 90s it would become associated with groups Korn, Green Day and Guns n Roses. 

CBGB's Front Entrance

They had a record store and cafe next door, but they ended up closing it and making it into CB's 313 Gallery. CB's 313 Gallery is a gallery to present other genres of music like acoustic, rock, folk, jazz, or experimental music while the CBGB continued to show hardcord punk. However good things do not last forever and CBGB closed in October 2006. Though 6 years later, CBGB was reborn into what would be the largest music festival in New York City. Then a year later, in 2013, the original location for CBGB was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bowery Historic District. It will always be known as the birthplace of punk. 

Musically, punk rock evolved from many genres, all coming together in a fusion. The main genre punk evolved from was garage rock. Garage rock itself were just people who were inspired to play music from rock and roll and blues musicians. Punk seeked to get rid of the excess of rock and roll and find a purer form of it. 

Punk also came about because of people’s reaction to inflated money and songs’ length that came from rock and roll and people’s hatred for the rising hippie movement in the late 60s and early 70s. Politics also played a large part into the creation of punk. Punk was not, is not, just a music genre—it is also a philosophy, an aesthetic, a way of life. Early punk musicians wanted to reject conformity and their preceding generation’s politics and philosophies. Punk was an attempt to make something fresh and new. 

There are several bands that are key to the creation and spread of punk. Without them, punk would not have taken off when it did. 

The band that is often said to be the first true punk rock band is The Ramones. Formed in 1974, the group created a three-chord sound that would later become the foundation for punk. They had inane lyrics that critics called “so stupid they were smart” (“The Ramones”). The Ramones made their reputation by constantly touring and high energy live performances with their most notable performance location being CBGB. They even inspired musicians overseas, as after their tour in England in 1976, a rise in punk rock music in England occurred. 

The Ramones were inspired by a fellow group, the New York Dolls (which I will talk more about later) and pop music of the 60s, especially bubblegum and surf music. They brought the basics back with their albums, with their first, Ramones, being released in 1976. 

The song below is “Blitzkrieg Bop” from their debut album. It’s a great example of what made the Ramones the Ramones. It’s rock and roll refined down to the bare essentials of the Ramones’ three cords. 

The New York Dolls are also a key band in the creation of punk. They influenced almost all, if not all, punk bands that came after them. The New York Dolls gained attention in 1972 for their performances in lower Manhattan where they wore makeup and odd clothing (and by odd, I mean adrogynous, which was out of the norm for the time). However, everything started to go downhill after the death of one of their members during their tour in England in 1972. After Mercury Records dropped the group, they hired a new manager—the one who managed teh Sex Pistols and brought them to fame. However, everything the manager did backfired and the group eventually disbanded in 1977.

The song below is “Personality Crisis” from their first album. It’s a glam-punk album that is similar to the music of the Rolling Stones. The song has a riff and accompanying piano part that marks it as a footnote in rock history and something that many other artists will learn from. The lyrics comment on individualism and liberation, which was right in line with the band’s imagery. 

Punk itself has since split into many other genres and subgenres. There’s Anarcho punk, Celtic punk, Cowpunk (a mixture of country and punk), Christian punk, Death punk, Emo (or early emo), Gyspy (or Immigrant) Punk, Hardcore punk, Pop Punk, Psychobilly, Riot Grrrl, Ska Punk, Street Punk, and many more. 

Without punk, there are many bands that may not have existed, or bands that couldn’t have made the music they’ve made. Groups like Nirvana and Beastie Boys would not be able to have taken the elements and ideals of punk and expanded upon it to create new music. Punk will be around for as long as people continue to use it for their creative outlet to let out their frustration and anger. It already has a history, but it has a future too as long as there are people to fuel it. 

Works Cited

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CBGB. “CBGB History.” CBGB & OMFUG, 2021, https://www.cbgb.com/about. Accessed 29 Oct. 2021.

Christley, Emma. “The Origins and Legacy of Punk Rock.” Medium, Medium, 24 Apr. 2019, https://emmaechristley.medium.com/the-origins-and-legacy-of-punk-rock-87bd75b6570d. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021. 

Cooper, Ryan. “A Beginner's Guide to the Evolution of Punk Rock.” LiveAbout, LiveAbout, 10 Apr. 2018, https://www.liveabout.com/history-of-punk-rock-2803345. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.

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“Punk.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/punk. Accessed 29 Oct. 2021.

“Rip It to Shreds: A History of Punk and Style.” Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2016, https://pitchfork.com/features/from-our-partners/9943-rip-it-to-shreds-a-history-of-punk-and-style/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2021. 

“The Ramones.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Ramones. Accessed 30 Oct. 2021.