A number of overlapping punk rock subgenres have developed since the emergence of punk rock (often shortened to punk) in the mid-1970s. Even though punk genres at times are difficult to segregate, they usually show differing characteristics in overall structures, instrumental and vocal styles, and tempo. However, sometimes a particular trait is common in several genres, and thus punk genres are normally grouped by a combination of traits.
Afro-punk
Afro-punk (sometimes spelled AfroPunk) refers to the participation of African Americans in the punk and alternative music cultures. Afro-punks represent a majority in the punk culture in predominantly black regions of the world that have burgeoning punk communities, such as in parts of Africa. There are many punk rock bands with black members, and several with lineups that are all black.
Anarcho punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the 1970s/1980s anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom. Some, however, use the term to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content.
Art punk
Art punk or avant punk refers to punk rock and post-punk music of an experimental bent, or with connections to art school, the art world, or the avant-garde.
Christian punk
Christian punk (or Christ punk, as it is called in reference to crust punk) is punk rock with some degree of Christian lyrical content. Given the edginess of punk and some of its subgenres, such as hardcore punk, many bands have been rejected by the Christian music industry. Due to the message and nature of Christian punk, many traditional punks ridicule it.
Crust punk
Crust punk (also known as Crust or Stenchcore) is a subgenre which evolved in the early-1980s in England, and has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills. Crust is partly defined by its "bassy" and "dirty" sound. It is often played at a fast tempo with occasional slow sections. Vocals are usually guttural and may be grunted, growled or screamed. While the term was first associated with Hellbastard, Amebix have been described as the originators of the style, along with Discharge and Antisect.
Deathrock
Deathrock is a subgenre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s. Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars and prominent bass. Drumming emphasizes repetitive, post-punk beats within a time signature. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars are sometimes used. Lyrics can vary, but are typically introspective and surreal, and deal with the dark themes of isolation, gloom, disillusionment, loss, life, death, etc.; as can the style, varying from harsh and dark to upbeat, melodic and tongue-in-cheek. Deathrock lyrics and other musical stylistic elements often incorporate the themes of campy horror and sci-fi films, which in turn leads some bands to adopt elements of rockabilly and surf rock.
Egg punk
Egg punk is an Internet-based subgenre of punk rock that emerged during the 2010s referring to bands with a lo-fi recording style and satirical tone. The genre is influenced by new wave band Devo and historically referred to as Devo-core. The origins of egg punk are attributed both to a community of DIY midwestern American punk rock artists from the early 2010s and their subsequent characterization as "egg punk" by a series of internet memes circulated in the late 2010s.
Garage punk
Garage punk is punk rock heavily influenced by garage rock. Other influences include soul music, beat music, surf rock, power pop and psychedelic rock. Often it uses lo-fi aesthetics over catchy melodies.
Glam punk
Glam punk (also called glitter punk) fuses elements of punk rock and glam rock, commonly reflected in image.
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (or hardcore) music is generally faster and more aggressive than earlier punk rock. Hardcore, which originated in the late 1970s, was heavily involved with the rise of the independent record labels in the 1980s, and with the DIY ethics in underground music scenes. It has influenced a number of music genres which have experienced mainstream success, such as alternative rock, grunge, alternative metal, metalcore, thrash metal, and post-hardcore.
Horror punk
Horror punk mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid or violent imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films or science fiction B-movies. The genre is similar to, and sometimes overlaps with, deathrock, although horror punk music is typically more aggressive and melodic than deathrock. Some horror punk bands dress up in black clothes, skeleton costumes, and skull face paint.
Nazi punk
Nazi punk (also known as hatecore) is punk rock styled music that promotes neo-Nazism. Rock Against Communism is a related genre. It is agreed upon that Nazi punk is rejected by the community for its anti-thetical messaging. Therefore, it is generally agreed upon that Nazi punk is not a punk subgenre.
Oi!
Oi! is a working class street-level subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It had a goal of uniting punks, skinheads, and other working class youths.
Peace punk Peace punk is a subgenre of punk rock with anti-war lyrics. The lyrics in peace punk advocate nonviolence and also often equality, freedom, animal liberation, veganism, ecology, human rights and anarchy. The lyrics are against racism, sexism, homophobia, war, poverty, capitalism, the government and the military. Most peace punk bands are also anarcho-punk bands.
Proto-punk
Proto-punk (or protopunk) is music that foreshadowed the punk rock genre and sensibilities of the punk movement, particularly rock music artists during the 1960s and early-to mid 1970s. A retrospective label, the musicians involved were generally not originally associated with each other and came from a variety of backgrounds and styles; together, they anticipated many of punk's musical and thematic attributes.
Punk pathetique
Punk pathetique or Fun punk is a subgenre of British punk rock (principally active circa 1980–1982) that involved humour and working class cultural themes. Musically it was related to (and had crossover with) the Oi! subgenre.
Queercore
Queercore is a subgenre of punk that emerged in the 1980s after the publication of the zine J.D.s in Toronto. As a genre, queercore explores issues of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. Festivals such as Queeruption feature music, art, film, performance art and DIY-aesthetic.
Riot Grrrl
Riot Grrrl is a feminist punk/indie rock genre and subculture, whose popularity peaked in the 1990s. The subculture features elements such as female-centric bands, concerts and festivals; collectives, support groups, workshops, self-defense courses, activism and fanzines.
Skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatepunk, skate-punk, skate-thrash, surf punk, skate rock or skate-core) is a subgenre of punk that is derived from hardcore punk. Skate punk most often describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an aggressive sound, and similar-sounding modern bands. Skate videos have traditionally featured this aggressive style of punk rock.
Street punk
Street punk is a working class subgenre of punk rock which emerged in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk developed from the Oi! genre, and then continued to go beyond the confines of the original Oi! style.
Taqwacore
Taqwacore is a punk rock subgenre dealing with Islam and its culture, originally conceived in Michael Muhammad Knight's 2003 novel The Taqwacores. The name is a portmanteau of hardcore and the Arabic word Taqwa, which is usually translated as "piety" or the quality of being "God-fearing". Although Muslim punk rock dates back to at least the 1979 founding of the British band Alien Kulture. Knight's novel was instrumental in encouraging the growth of a contemporary North American Muslim punk movement. Taqwacore bands often challenge Islam as it exists, promoting a very liberal-progressive agenda.
Trallpunk
Trallpunk is a subgenre of punk known for fast drumming, a melodic sound and often politically oriented lyrics. It emerged from the late-1980s Swedish hardcore punk scene.
Punk rock fusion subgenres
2 Tone
2 Tone (or Two Tone) was a music genre created in England in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae and new wave. The 2 Tone sound was developed by young musicians in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The genre is the precursor of the third wave ska scene of the 1980s and 1990s.
Anti-folk
Anti-folk (sometimes antifolk or unfolk) is a subgenre of folk music and punk rock that seeks to subvert the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next. Nonetheless, the music tends to sound raw or experimental; it also generally mocks perceived seriousness and pretension in the established mainstream music scene.
Burning spirits Burning spirits is a fusion genre of hardcore punk and heavy metal music, particular the sounds of the New wave of British heavy metal. The style is typified by drums and vocals inspired by hardcore, crust punk and D-beat, accompanied by heavy metal-style guitar harmonies and solos. Originating from the Japanese hardcore scene in the mid–to late 1980s, it began to form with bands including Gudon and Poison Arts. In the 1990s, the most influential works in the genre were released, notably: Bet On the Possibility (1991) by Death Side; Tetsuarei (1991) by Tetsu Arrey; Wind of Pain (1992) by Bastard and No Reason Why (1996) by Judgement. The genre's name was coined by Death Side vocalist Ishiya and Tetsu Arrey bassist Katsuta Tokuyuki, based on a quote by New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestler Bruiser Brody, in reference to Antonio Inoki.
The style went on to influence bands outside of Japan, such as Devil Master and Integrity, as well as the neo-crust genre, including His Hero is Gone, From Ashes Rise and Tragedy. Additionally, some non-Japanese bands adopted the burning spirits style, including Selfish, Lifechain, Burial and the Holy Mountain.
Celtic punk
Celtic punk is punk rock fused with influences from Celtic music. Often, the bands add Celtic instruments such as bagpipes, fiddle, tin whistle, accordion, mandolin or banjo. Celtic punk bands often play covers of traditional Irish or Scottish folk songs, as well as original compositions.
Chicano punk Chicano punk is music by punk bands of Mexican American ethnicity. The subgenre originated in Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods during the mid-1990s and later spread to the Los Angeles punk scene.
Cowpunk
Cowpunk (also known as country punk) combines punk rock with country music in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style. The term has also been applied to several bands that play a fast form of Southern rock.
Dance-punk
Dance-punk (also known as disco punk, funk punk or indie-dance) mixes punk rock with disco, funk and electro music. Emerging in the late 1970s, it is influenced by the post-punk and No Wave movements and, more recently, the post-punk revival and art punk movements.
Dark cabaret
Dark cabaret may be a simple description of the theme and mood of a cabaret performance, but more recently has come to define a particular musical genre which draws on the aesthetics of the decadent, risqué German Weimar-era cabarets, burlesque and vaudeville shows with the stylings of post-1970s goth and punk music.
Folk punk