punk rock

Word family

• punk
  nounB1
• punk
  adjectiveB1
• punk rocker
  nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Punk rock refers specifically to the raw, fast-paced rock genre born in the mid-1970s with bands like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. 'Punk' is often used as a shorter way to say the same thing, but it also covers the whole subculture — the clothes, the DIY attitude, and the community around the music. Hardcore punk is a heavier, faster offshoot that appeared around 1980, with even shorter songs and more aggressive playing. Garage rock is a simpler, rougher rock style from the 1960s that influenced punk but usually stays away from political topics. Alternative rock came later and borrowed punk's energy but added more varied sounds and song structures. If someone says 'I love punk,' they might mean the music, the fashion, or both; 'I love punk rock' almost always means the music.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word 'punk' first appeared in 16th-century English as a term for a worthless person or hoodlum. By the early 1970s, American music critics began using 'punk rock' to describe the raw, simple sound of garage bands that rejected the long, complex songs of progressive rock. The term caught on as the style exploded into a full movement between 1975 and 1977, led by bands in New York and London.