Punk rock is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles with stripped-down instrumentation. Lyricism in punk typically revolves around anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian themes. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through independent labels.
1980s punks with leather jackets and dyed mohawk hairstyles
Iggy Pop, the "godfather of punk"
Facade of legendary music club CBGB, New York
The Ramones performing in Toronto in 1976. The Ramones are often described as the first true punk band, popularizing the punk movement in the United States. They are regarded as highly influential in today's punk culture.
Garage rock is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional.
The D-Men (later the Fifth Estate) in 1964
Link Wray, pictured in 1993, who helped pioneer the use of guitar power chords and distortion as early as 1958 with the instrumental, "Rumble", has been cited as an early influence on garage rock.
The Pleasure Seekers in 1966 (Suzi Quatro far right)
Paul Revere & the Raiders in 1967
