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[Corporal Hicks]

Credit www.wikipedia.org

History

In the late 1960s several rock bands such as The Stooges and MC5 began to play a stripped-down, louder and more aggressive form of rock 'n' roll as a response to the commercialization of the hippie counterculture. Several bands and artists, such as the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads and others, were heavily influenced by this and took it further. These New York bands started to frequent CBGB's and the first punk scene was formed.

During this same period, bands were formed independently in other locations, such as The Modern Lovers in Boston, Electric Eels, Rocket from the Tombs, and The Dead Boys in Ohio, The Saints in Brisbane, Australia, and The Stranglers and the Sex Pistols in London.

On July 4, 1976, The Ramones and The Stranglers played at The Roundhouse in London. This show is often cited as the event that launched the punk scene in London. By the end of 1976, many fans of the Sex Pistols had formed their own bands, including The Clash, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Adverts, Generation X, The Slits and X-Ray Spex. Other UK bands to emerge in this milieu included The Damned, The Jam, The Vibrators, Buzzcocks and London.

Culture

The production, transmission, and consumption of punk culture is something most punks have in common. It is these processes which generate punk scenes. Since punk is made up of a diverse collection of smaller subcultures, punk culture is expressed in a wide variety of ways. As they are described here, not all of the cultural elements of punk are part of all punk subcultures, but they are common to most.

Music

Main article: Punk rock

Music is the most important aspect of punk, so much so that it forms the basis of the entire subculture. Punk music is called punk rock, sometimes shortened to punk. Most punk rock is a specific style of the rock music genre, though punk musicians sometimes incorporate elements from other rock styles, and even other genres. Punk subcultures often distinguish themselves from one another by having a distinct style of punk rock, though not every style of punk rock has its own associated subculture. Punk rock is mostly the domain of the punk subculture, though some styles of it have found wider popularity. Most punk rock has simple arrangements and short songs, and lyrics typically espouse punk ideology. Punk rock emerged in the mid-1970s from its roots in various rock styles, expanded into a number of different styles, and influenced a number of newer styles. Punk rock is usually played in bands, as opposed to solo artists. Some important punk rock bands include the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Dead Kennedys, The Damned, Black Flag, The Misfits and The Clash.

Ideology

A punk faces a line of riot police.Main article: Punk ideology
Punk ideology is concerned most with a belief in an individual's intrinsic right to freedom and how best to encourage, maximize and live a less restricted lifestyle. The devotion to the abstract ideal of freedom leads to a personal combination of ethics, politics and aesthetics that express an individualized pursuit of said freedom. Accordingly punk ethics espouse the role of personal choice in the development of and pursuit of greater freedom. Common punk ethics include a radical rejection of mainstream conformity, living according to the DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic, taking direct action for political change, and not selling out to mainstream interests for personal gain. Subsequently punk politics cover the entire political spectrum, many punks find themselves categorized into left-wing or progressive views, and punks often participate in political protests for local, national or global change. Some common trends in punk politics include anarchism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-militarism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism, anti-nationalism, environmentalism, vegetarianism, veganism, and animal rights. Punk aesthetics determine the type of art punks enjoy, which is usually underground in origin with minimalistic, iconoclastic and satirical sensibilities. Punks tend to enjoy art which makes strong political statements, preferably using humor, irony or sarcasm. Punks are fans of decadence in art because of its strong critique of what would be considered mainstream culture.

Fashion

An example of an extreme punk hairstyle, as worn by Colin Jerwood of ConflictMain article: Punk fashion
Punks seek to outrage propriety with the highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry and body modification. Punk clothing adapts existing objects for aesthetic effect: previously ripped clothes are held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape, written on with marker or defaced with paint; a black bin liner bag (garbage bag) might become a dress, shirt or skirt. Leather, rubber and vinyl clothing are also common, possibly due to its implied connection with transgressive sexual practices, such as bondage and S&M. Some punks wear tight "drain pipe" jeans, "brothel creepers" shoes, t-shirts with risqué images, or possibly a leather motorcycle jacket and Converse sneakers (á la the Ramones). Punks style their hair to stand in spikes, cut it into "Mohawks" or other dramatic shapes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues. Punks will use safety pins and razor blades as jewelry, including using safety pins for piercings. Punks tend to show their love for a certain band or idea by pin-back buttons or patches which they adorn on their jackets. They sometimes flaunt taboo symbols such as the Nazi swastika or Iron Cross, although most punks are staunchly anti-racist and may instead wear a crossed-out swastika patch. With the current trend of many traditionally punk aesthetics being incorporated into mainstream fashion, many punks have taken a more minimalistic approach to fashion. For example, as studded belts and dyed hair became more common, their popularity among punks declined.

Visual art

The cover of the God Save the Queen single designed by Jamie Reid.Main article: Punk visual art

Punk artwork often graces punk rock album covers, flyers for punk shows, and punk zines. Usually straightforward with clear messages, punk art is often concerned with political issues such as social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common. Alternatively, artwork may contain images of selfishness, stupidity, or apathy to provoke contempt in the viewer. Much of the earlier artwork was in black and white, because it was distributed in punk zines reproduced at copy shops. Punk art also uses the "mass production" aesthetic of Andy Warhol's Factory studio. Early punk also played a hand in the revival of stencil art, spearheaded by Crass. The situationists also influenced the look of punk art, particularity that of the Sex Pistols. Punk art often utilizes collage, exemplified by the art of Crass, Jamie Reid, and Winston Smith. John Holmstrom was a punk cartoonist who created much artwork for the Ramones and Punk Magazine. The Stuckism art movement had their origin in punk, and titled their first major show The Stuckists Punk Victorian at the Walker Art Gallery during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. Charles Thomson, co-founder of the group, described punk as "a major breakthrough" in his art.

Dance

An example of hardcore dancingMain article: Punk dance
A variety of dances are popular within the punk subculture. Commonly performed at punk shows, these dances often appear chaotic, or even violent. The punk subculture and its immediate predecessors originated many of these dance styles from the 1970s onward. Moshing and the pogo are the types of dance most closely associated with punk. Hardcore dancing is a later development based on these styles. Stage diving and crowd surfing were originally associated with protopunk bands such as The Stooges, but went on to find a place at punk shows, and later metal shows and rock concerts. Ska punk originated the dance style of skanking. Punk shows often appear to the uninitiated to be more like small-scale riots than rock concerts. In some punk circles, fans spit and throw beer bottles at the band and each other. Fights both inside and outside the venue are more common than in many other subcultures, as is damage to sound equipment and the venue itself. The contemporary dances of metalheads borrow much from punk dance. Unlike hip hop dancing and breakdancing, punk dances are intended to be performed in dense crowds.

Literature

A cover of the punk zine Maximum RocknRoll.Main article: Punk literature
Punk has generated a considerable amount of poetry and prose. Punk literature is as varied as the subculture itself. Punk has its own underground press in the form of punk zines. Punk zines chronicle and help to define punk. Most punk scenes have at least one punk zine, which feature news, gossip, cultural criticism, and interviews with local or touring punk rock bands. Some punk zines take the form of perzines. Important punk zines include Maximum RocknRoll, Punk Planet, and Cometbus. Also, a number of novels, biographies, autobiographies, and comic books have been written about punk. Jim Carroll and Patti Smith are two examples of punk poets. The Medway Poets group was formed at this time, including punk musician Billy Childish and having an influence on Tracey Emin. Jim Carroll's autobiographical works are perhaps the first punk literature. Punk has had an influence on literature, inspiring the cyberpunk and steampunk genres. Love and Rockets is a notable comic with a plot involving the Los Angeles punk scene.

Film

A number of punk movies have been made, and punk rock music videos and punk skate videos are common. The use of stock footage typifies punk film. The No Wave Cinema movement owes much to punk aesthetics. Derek Jarman and Don Letts were punk filmmakers.

Lifestyle

Participants in the punk subculture often identify themselves, and are identified by others, as such. They are usually called punks (or punx), punk rockers, or, less often, punkers. Not everyone who plays a hand in the punk subculture is identified as a punk, however, and someone with no connection to the subculture whatsoever may be considered a punk. Some punks identify strongly as such, while others do so far more casually, and still others see punk as a kind of anti-identity or anomie. Specific subsets of punk identify with the mainline subculture to varying degrees, and use a number of different terms to distinguish themselves, but these usually involve the use of punk as a suffix.

Punks are typically white, male adolescents from working class or middle class backgrounds, although exceptions abound on every count.

Pleasant Gehman describes the makeup of the early Los Angeles punk scene as such: "These kids were slightly older, in their mid-twenties, mostly; some were art students or art school dropouts, some were aspiring musicians and actors, and some were plain old druggies/degenerates."

Although adolescents are the main age group in punk, there are also many adults who hold to the punk mentality, but do not necessarily dress the part. The youth of many of its participants makes punk a high school subculture.

Punk is, except for the riot grrrl subculture, largely male-dominated, though punks rarely tolerate overt sexism. Since its inception, female punks have always played important roles in the punk subculture, but, numerically speaking, they are vastly underrepresented. Compared to some alternative cultures, however, punk is much closer to being gender inclusive, at least so far as its dominant view of gender relations goes.

Although the punk subculture is overwhelmingly anti-racist, it is vastly white, especially in Europe and North America, and some fringe punk factions espouse views of white supremacy. These groups are usually treated with open hostility by the rest of the subculture. Numerous ethnic minorities have taken part in and contributed to the development of the subculture, such as African Americans, Latinos, and Asians.

Punks often hold minimum wage jobs or are unemployed. A number of punks are homeless and some rely on squatting, dumpster diving and shoplifting to survive. There is a tension within the subculture between the refusal of gainful employment and a disdain for dropping out. Squeegee punks are a common sight in the downtown cores of many major cities.


Sid Vicious in a 1978 mugshot related to his arrest for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.Substance abuse is somewhat common in the punk scene, with the exception of the straight edge faction. The original punk movement was largely fueled by heroin, methamphetamine, and alcohol. Methamphetamine and alcohol continue to find wide use in the subculture, though heroin usage has declined since the early 1980s. The punk subculture has a close association with the abuse of inhalants. The use of hallucinogens and marijuana is less associated with punk than with other youth cultures. In Sweden punks are often associated with drinking "folköl" (beer with an alcohol content between 2.25% and 3.5%) as it is inexpensive, available in mosts shops, and can be purchased by anyone eighteen years of age or older.

Some punks and groups of punks, especially punk rock bands, gain notoriety within their local scene, regional scene, or the punk subculture as a whole, and some go on to become (in)famous in the mainstream as well. Famous punks include Billy Idol, Joey Ramone, John Lydon, Sid Vicious, Nancy Spungen, Jello Biafra, Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux, Vivian Westwood, Malcolm McLaren, Aaron Cometbus, and Spaz. Some punks go on to leave the subculture in favour of the status quo, which is usually regarded as selling out by those still in the subculture. Others say this is either the result of growing up, a necessary progression, or the result of disillusionment.

Community

Punks mostly interact with one another in their local area, forming a local punk scene. In dozens of countries worldwide, almost all major cities, many medium-sized cities, and a few small towns have such scenes. Several local punk scenes with close ties to one another form a regional scene.

Punk scenes, both local and regional, are concentrated in North America, Europe, and Japan. There are also scenes in Central America, South America and Australia. The more cosmopolitan cities of mainland Asia, and the Middle East also play host to scenes. In Africa, punk scenes are mostly limited to South Africa. On the whole, punk scenes are most prominent in global cities.

The way punks express their culture varies from scene to scene, and there are vast differences between regional scenes. The global punk subculture contains speakers of many languages, citizens of dozens of states, and members of a variety of nationalities and ethnicities. This wide variety of backgrounds ensures that punks create a vast range of culture that reflects the unique conditions of their local or regional scenes.

Local punk scenes can be as small as half a dozen punks, or can encompass thousands of members. A local scene usually has a small group of dedicated punks surrounded by a more casual periphery. On the outer fringes of a punk scene are the poseurs, whom the core members do not consider to be participants in the subculture at all.

A typical punk scene is made up of: several bands who perform music at shows and record albums; fans who attend these shows and purchase these albums; independent record labels which produce these albums; zine makers who document the activity of the bands, fans and labels; visual artists who create artwork for these shows, albums, labels and zines; and fashion designers who create clothing and accessories. A punk may perform any number of these functions in his or her local scene, and it is not uncommon for a single punk to perform all of them.

Punk culture is exchanged within the punk community in a number of ways. Punk rock can be played in concert at either venues or basement shows, aired on radio stations, or recorded to albums or bootlegs for dissemination by the punk wing of the cassette culture. Punk parties also serve as an important component of a punk scene, providing an event to exchange music and reinforce scene solidarity. Punk zines are sometimes exchanged at zine distros catering specifically to the subculture.

Squatting plays a major role in the punk community, providing shelter and other forms of support. Punk squats and other punk houses often provide a place to stay for touring bands. These houses are usually found in low income urban areas in or around skid row. There are some punk communes, such as the Dial House.

In recent years, the Internet, specifically in the form of virtual communities and file sharing programs, has been playing increasingly larger roles in punk. There have also been several formal organizations based around uniting punks, but these have largely disappeared.

Subcultures within punk

Punk is made up of a diverse assortment of smaller subcultures, each with its own take on punk styles. These groups may deliberately distinguish themselves from one another through differences in culture, such as having a unique style of music or dress. Some of these groups are antagonistic towards one another, and there is widespread disagreement within punk whether or not some are even part of the larger subculture. Several of these factions may be active in any given punk scene, though some are tied to particular regional or local scenes. Others, such as hardcore, are prevalent throughout the entire subculture. A single punk may identify with any number of these factions, or none in particular.

Original subculture and derivatives

The circled 'A' symbol often associated with anarcho-punk.Two punk subcultures, anarcho-punk and Nazi punk, distinguish themselves through their well-defined political stances. One of the oldest factions within punk, anarcho-punk is as old as the punk movement itself, and has supplied the punk subculture with many elements of its dominant ideology. Anarcho-punk is the part of the punk movement consisting of groups, bands and individuals promoting specifically anarchist ideas, such as animal rights, feminism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, and many other social agendas. Exemplary bands of the anarcho-punk musical style include Crass, Conflict and the Subhumans. Anarcho-punk fashion ranges across the entire spectrum of punk fashion, with the exception of Nazi punk dress. Diametrically opposed to anarcho-punk, Nazi punk is a punk subculture which espouses neo-Nazism and white supremacy. It grew out of the original punk movement in the UK during the late 1970s, and later spread to the US. The style of music played by Nazi punk bands is either called Rock Against Communism, hatecore, or simply Nazi punk. Skrewdriver, the archetypical Nazi punk band, is largely responsible for creating this faction. The now-defunct Punk Front was a notorious Nazi punk organization in the UK during the late 1970s. Nazi punks often wear Swastikas, or other symbols of hate in combination with more typical punk dress.

Another set of punk subcultures, consisting of Oi!, streetpunk, and punk-skinhead, identify strongly with punk's working class sensibilities, though they carry no implicit political ideology, with beliefs instead ranging anywhere from communism to right wing within the same group. Having its origins in the original punk subculture of the UK, Oi! seeks to align punk with a working class, street-level following, and often associates itself with football hooliganism. The Oi! subculture promotes unity between punks, skinheads and other working class youths. Major bands include Cock Sparrer, the Cockney Rejects, Angelic Upstarts, and Sham 69. Having close ties to the Oi! punk subculture, though without placing the same importance on football rivalries, streetpunk is a working class, inner-city punk subculture. Streetpunk dress places an emphasis on the impoverished look of punk fashion. In a vein similar to Oi!, punk-skinhead is, as its name would suggest, a hybrid of the punk and skinhead subcultures which fuses the various styles of fashion and music belonging to each.

In addition to punk-skinhead, there are three other punk subcultures, ska punk, skate punk, and cowpunk, which fuse punk with other subcultures. Ska punk is a combination of punk and Jamaican culture, especially the rude boy subculture. The ska punk musical style, which combines punk rock and ska, features wind instruments, distinguishing it from most other punk music. Ska punk originated a unique dance step, called skanking. 2 tone is a closely related subculture which places emphasis on inter-racial unity. The UK saw the rise of ska punk shortly after the genesis of punk. This faction has since spread to North America, where it gained considerable mainstream attention during the early 1990s. Around the same time as the development of ska punk, the skate punk subculture began in Venice Beach, California as a fusion of punk and the Californian subcultures associated with skateboarding and surfboarding. This faction was largely created by a skateboarding team called the Z-boys. In the 1980s, skate punk music emerged from Californian hardcore punk as a distinct genre. Over the last decade, the skateboarding subculture has moved away from its punk influences. The fourth hybrid punk subculture, cowpunk, fused stylistic elements of punk with country and rockabilly music, fashions, and dance. Cowpunk originated in southern California during the early 1980s.

Two punk subcultures, deathrock and positive punk, are distinguished from the larger punk subculture by their adoption of the cultural sensibilities of horror films. Deathrock focuses on "dark" culture, such as horror, occultism, death and depression. It was originated by musicians such as Rozz Williams, Eva O and Dinah Cancer in California during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Recently, deathrock has largely taken on a more apolitical stance, distinguishing it from the rest of the punk subculture. The now-extinct positive punk subculture, so-called because it lacked the violence that characterizes the rest of punk, began in late 1970s in the London punk scene around the Batcave nightclub, and quickly developed into the goth subculture. In its brief existence, positive punk had many similarities to the deathrock subculture. Both deathrock and positive punk anticipated horror punk.

Hardcore punk and derivatives

The hardcore punk subculture originated in North America, and was most popular during the 1980s. Hardcore music is a faster and heavier version of punk rock, usually characterized by short, loud, and often passionate songs with exceptionally fast tempos and chord changes. Major bands include Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. Hardcore fashion differs in several ways from that of the original punk subculture. The UK equivalent of American hardcore is UK 82.

Crust punk is a more extreme version of the hardcore punk subculture. Members of this punk faction are sometimes called crusties. Crust punk music fuses elements of anarcho-punk and grindcore with the harshest aspects of hardcore. Crust punk fashion is generally exaggerated hardcore attire, and crust punk ideology follows the same vein as anarcho-punk.

Horror punk is hardcore's version of deathrock.

Christian punk is affiliated with Christianity, as opposed to the secularism of the punk subculture as a whole. Christian punk grew out of the 1980s American hardcore scene. Christian punk fashion is similar to that of typical punk fashion, though often incorporating Christian-themed symbolism such as the cross, the crown of thorns, the Ichthys, the Labarum, and the newly-created "Alpha is Omega" symbol.

Celtic punk, which began in the early 1980s, fuses punk with the traditional cultures of Scotland, Manx, Ireland, and the Irish diaspora. Celtic punk music combines the rock beats and electric guitars of punk rock with traditional celtic melodies and instruments, such as the bagpipes. A variation of this subculture is Scottish Gaelic punk.


Riot Grrrl zineRiot grrrl is an offshoot of hardcore punk that places strong emphasis on feminism. This segment seeks to create a girl-friendly space within the subculture, accomplishing this task with feminist zines and all-woman bands. Riot grrrl arose from the Seattle, Olympia, and Washington, D.C. hardcore scenes in 1991, and shared significant cultural cross-pollination with the developing grunge subculture. Bratmobile and Bikini Kill are two prime examples of riot grrrl bands. Queercore is a branch of hardcore punk that developed alongside riot grrrl based instead on the experiences of lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. Queercore music, exemplified by the band Pansy Division, is similar to hardcore, except its lyrics more often than not deal with the issues surrounding marginalized sexuality. Likewise, queercore fashion is similar to hardcore dress, though it incorporates elements from sexuality and gender identity-based subcultures.

Other

Other groups with some relation to punk include cartoon punk, gutter punk, scum punk, cider punk, punk pathetique, glam punk, and Afro-punk. Conservative punk is a group within punk which holds conservative political values, as opposed to the much larger progressive element within punk.

Cultural relations

Punk has unique relationships with other subcultures and popular culture as a whole.

Subcultures which developed out of punk
The Goth subculture began in the gothic rock scene, a music genre that developed from punk rock and post-punk in the late 1970s. The subculture is noted for its macabre outlook and fascination with dark subjects and fashion.

Psychobilly incorporates the music and fashions of the rockabilly subculture with horror themes. Psychobilly music is generally played with an upright bass instead of an electric bass. Cowpunk and punkabilly are related subcultures.

New Wave Music and it's attendant subculture arose along with the earliest punk groups; indeed punk and the new wave were originally interchangeable terms. Combining elements of early punk music and fashion with a far more pop oriented and less "dangerous" style, new wave became one of the most popular music movements of the early 80's before essentially dying out mid-decade.

Emo developed from the Washington, D.C. punk scene in the late 1980s. Punk and emo have a sometimes antagonistic relationship, since emo as a movement has become increasingly mainstream, and punks generally reject any form of music or subculture that has "sold out".

An outgrowth of hardcore punk, straight edge is based around a lifestyle of abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drug use. The movement was kickstarted by Washington, D.C.'s Minor Threat in the 1980s. Straight Edge is an offshoot of the original Punk Atitude. Someone who is "Straight Edge" follows the punk lifestyle, but doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs. Straight Edge was started by several people who saw the Punk Lifestyle, while agreeing with its points on freedom, saw the self-destructive nature of the scene and agreed to stop drinking and doing drugs. One sign that a person is "Straight Edge" is a black X written on with marker on the person's hand. This comes from when the only place for bands to play was in bars. Younger fans weren't allowed in even though a large contingency of the bands was under 21. The bar owners, feeling sorry for these kids, let them in but put a big X on their hand so the bar tender would know not to serve them alcohol. Hardline is a social movement which originated in the straight edge punk subculture. Hardline is based around extreme politics, mostly derived from the doctrines of deep ecology.

The indie scene is an offshoot of punk that carries on punk's DIY ethic, though indie music is sonically more diverse. Characterized by independent labels, regional diversity, and grassroots fanbases, the indie scene encompasses a wide variety of underground music genres, most notably alternative rock and particularly its subgenres such as indie rock, indie pop, and indietronica. A prime example is the Seattle grunge scene that developed in the late 1980s. Grunge had considerable mainstream success in the early 1990s, during which the media placed an emphasis on the bands' working class clothing and indie ethics along with other alternative rock-related tropes such as Lollapalooza in an attempt to define it as a supposed "alternative culture" for Generation X.

Subcultures with origins separate from punk

Punk has ties to the skinhead subculture, a working class youth subculture which originated in the UK in the 1960s. The original skinhead movement had largely died out by 1972, but in the late 1970s it underwent a revival, partly as a reaction against the commercialization of punk. Punks and skinheads have had both antagonistic and friendly relationships, depending on the situation.

Punk and hip hop emerged around the same time in New York City, and there has been a surprising amount of interaction between the two subcultures. Some of the first hip hop MCs called themselves punk rockers, and some punk fashions have found their way into hip hop dress. Malcolm McLaren played roles in introducing both punk and hip hop to the United Kingdom. Recently, hip hop has influenced several punk bands, mostly in the pop punk style, including The Transplants, and Refused, and punk themes, such as disillusionment with the urban-industrial landscape, have been expressed in the lyrics of many hip hop artists.

The industrial subculture has several ties to punk.

Additionally, punk and the heavy metal subculture have shared similarities since punk's inception, and the early 1970s metal scene was instrumental in the development of protopunk. Glam rockers The New York Dolls, massively influential on early punk fashion, also influenced the look of glam metal. Alice Cooper was a forerunner of the fashion and music of both the punk and metal subcultures. Motörhead, since their first album release in 1977, have had continued popularity in the punk scene, and Lemmy is an anarchist, friend of several punks, and a fan of punk rock in general. Hardcore was a primary influence on thrash metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer and, by proxy, an influence on death metal and black metal. Conversely, punk subgenres like metalcore, grindcore and crossover thrash were greatly influenced by heavy metal. As a result, many punks are fans of heavy metal, and many metalheads find punk rock an acceptable musical style. The grunge subculture resulted in large part from the fusion of punk and metal styles in the late 1980s. However, there have long been tensions between the two groups. In particular, metal's mainstream incarnations have proven anathema to punk. Hardcore and grunge developed in part as reactions against metal music popular during the 1980s.

Other subcultures which have had relationships to punk include:

Beatniks
Hippie
Yippie
Mods
Rockers
Teddy boy
New Romantics
Rudeboy
Rockabilly
Metalhead
Cyber

Mainstream and popular culture

The cover of Chipmunk Punk, a popular children's album by The Chipmunks which borrows liberally from punk styles.Punk has influenced and has been influenced by popular culture in a number of ways.

In punk's original heyday, punks faced harassment and even violent attacks, particularly in the U.K., where brawls with Teddy Boys or fans of rockabilly were often reported. In the U.S. punks sometimes faced abuse from Rednecks and other right-wing groups such as the Nazi-Skinheads. In Sweden it was raggare that attacked punks. Nowadays it is relatively socially acceptable to present oneself as a fan of punk and to play punk rock music, and it is often merely a fashion statement among youth. Thus some maintain that the punk scene has lost the very heart of its former nature as one of explosive creativity, rebellion, anger and individualism, and that it has become a mere caricature of what once was. Others suggest that little has changed except the popularity of the genre. Disillusioned ex-punks see punk as outdated and obsolescent, especially as mass acceptance means that punk is now even influencing boy bands (albeit in a sanitised form).

Since the beginning of the subculture, major label record labels and fashion houses have attempted to use punk for profit. For the most part, punk has met this cultural appropriation with resistance, because of the punk ethic of musical integrity which punks often feel is threatened by record label profit motivation. Many members of the original punk subculture find the commercialization of punk disillusioning. They argue that punk is by definition unpopular (seeing "pop punk" as a contradiction in terms) and should remain that way because it provides a needed challenge to mainstream culture.