From https://promusicianhub.com/what-is-punk-music/
In its most basic definition, Punk music is a manifestation of the rebellious, anti-authority punk subculture that peaked in the second half of the 1970s, primarily in the US and the UK. Not just a music genre, but punk is more of an attitude, a philosophy, and a whole way of being.
Sure it doesn’t sound like punk music, but they sure as hell ripped a massive middle finger at authority.
It’s not.
Punk is a musical tradition. Rock and roll was always about rebellion. What made punk different was the back to basic, do it yourself attitude to the music. It’s rebellion, not only against society, but also against increasingly polished music in the 70s with everyone trying to be Zeppelin.
It arguably started with the Dolls and the Stooges, and grew like wildfire in CBGB. It spread to England when forming members of the Clash and Sex Pistols attended a single Ramones show. It got commercialised through the Pistols and political through the Clash. It got hardened in California, from Black Flag to the Kennedys. The US saw an inspired hardcore scene for a few years.
After that I’d argue it died. Plenty of people would probably pour a beer over me for that.
If it doesn’t draw from this musical tradition at all, calling it punk is just completely misleading. Ray Charles wasn’t punk just because he refused to play for a segregated audience. He was a complete badass, but that’s a different thing entirely. And even when drawing from punk as a tradition, whether or not post punk and pop punk should be considered punk is already a debate not worth having.
I blame the internet, my generation was pissed off and we were going to change things.
Then as we got old enough to actually do something, the internet took off and everyone just started screaming into the void instead.
