Post-punk is asubgenre and era ofrock music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake ofpunk rock. The concept was originally outlined byJon Savage in his "New Musick" editorial forSounds magazine in November 1977. The term has been noted for lacking a universally agreed-upon definition. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, adopting instead a broader, more experimental approach that incorporated a variety ofavant-garde sensibilities and non-rock influences. Inspired by punk's energy andDIY ethic but determined to move beyond rock clichés, artists drew influence from Germankrautrock and experimented with styles such asfunk,electronic music,jazz, anddance music; the production techniques ofdub anddisco; and ideas frommodernist art,cinema,literature, and politics. They also establishedindependent record labels, created visual art, staged multimedia performances, and producedfanzines. Among the early post-punk bands, onlySiouxsie and the Banshees andPublic Image Ltd. achieved commercial success in 1978, with debut singles reaching the top ten of theUK Chart.
During the 2000s, several New York bands incorporated post-punk influences into contemporaryindie rock, leading to thedance-punk andpost-punk revival. By the 2010s, Canadian, Irish, Danish and American post-punk acts later inspired London'sWindmill scene and "crank wave", while post-punk became briefly associated with the internetmicrogenre "doomer wave", sometimes associated withRussian post-punk and darkwave acts in the early 2020s. Around the same time, regional scenes developed in Russia and Latin America.
Post-punk is an era and diverse genre that emerged from the cultural milieu ofpunk rock in the late 1970s.[1][nb 1] In 1976, New York poetry magazineContact published the earliest known use of the term "post-punk" in an interview with painter and poetJack Micheline, the interviewer asked Micheline, "What are your thoughts moving in a post-punkbeat period?".[3]
Jon Savage's 1977Sounds editorial "New Musick" outlined a new experimental direction inpunk.
On 26 November 1977,Sounds magazine published an issue entitled "New Musick", with editorials by English journalists Jane Suck andJon Savage. Savage wrote a piece on an emerging scene and style of music known as "new musick", suggesting thatpunk rock was becoming stagnant and evolving into new, more experimental forms, which he noted as "post punk projections". He mentionedPere Ubu, while describingThrobbing Gristle andDevo as promoting "spontaneous physical reaction". He described the style as exhibiting "more overtreggae/dub influence", sounding "the same/manufactured in a factory," and characterizedSubway Sect,the Prefects,Siouxsie and the Banshees,the Slits, andWire as exploring "harsh urban scrapings/controlledwhite noise/massively accented drumming".[4][5] Music criticsSimon Reynolds, David Wilkinson,[6] and Theo Cateforis have cited Savage's editorial as the starting point for post-punk as a musical genre.[7]
At the time, there was a feeling of renewed excitement regarding what "new musick" would entail, withSounds publishing numerous preemptive editorials on the topic.[8][nb 2] By 1978-79, several British publications began to use the term "new musick" interchangeably with "post-punk".[10][11][12] Some journalists opted for the term "art punk" to describe artists "too sophisticated" and out of step withpunk's dogma, though it was sometimes used by critics as apejorative.[13][nb 3] By the 1980s, new musick had fallen out of prominence and replaced by the broad umbrella "new wave" and "post-punk" interchangeably. Subsequently, "post-punk" became differentiated from "new wave" after their styles perceptibly narrowed.[15]
Additionally, post-punk is often understood not only as a musical genre, but also as a period of alternative music. Reynolds defined the post-punk era as occurring roughly between 1978 and 1984.[16][8] He asserted that the post-punk period produced significant innovations and music on its own.[17] He described the period as "a fair match for the sixties in terms of the sheer amount of great music created, the spirit of adventure and idealism that infused it, and the way that the music seemed inextricably connected to the political and social turbulence of its era".[18] Writer Mimi Haddon notes that post-punk lacks a universally agreed-upon definition, and has argued that Reynolds’ account of the genre fails to reflect contemporary consensus found on theInternet, citing artists such asthe Chameleons andEcho & the Bunnymen as examples that fall outside his definition of a "post-punk vanguard".[19]
Writers such as Mimi Haddon, Simon Reynolds,[20] David Buckley, David Wilkinson and Alex Ogg have noted that several artists associated with post-punk predated the late-1970s punk explosion.[21] Haddon argues that the prefix“post-” in post-punk need not be understood solely in a chronological sense. Drawing on multiple linguistic meanings of "post-," through citing the definition forpostmodern feminism bypolitical theorists Carolyn Dipalma andKathy Ferguson.[22] Haddon proposes definitions in relation topostmodernism, noting the prefix can function as a noun ("the postmodern punk") denoting a vantage point from which one assesses punk, as well as a verb ("to post-punk"), in the sense of announcing or signposting punk's limitations and consciously or unconsciously critiques perceived shortcomings in punk while seeking new musical directions.[23]
Writer Ian Trowell echoed this interpretation stating, "We can consider the meaning of post as a simple temporal delineator (as inpost-war or a post-watershed television programme) or an ontogenetic shift in genre and thinking (as in postmodern)".[24]
Although post-punk is associated with a specific period of alternative music, the term also refers to a subgenre ofrock music.[25][26] Additionally, it has been characterized as the "ugly twin sister" ofnew wave music by Scott Rowley ofLouder. Discussing the term, he said: "It describes artists inspired by punk in some way – maybe by its ability to address issues, its flouting of convention, or just by its sheer energy."[27] The genre is known for its distinctive approach to rhythm, instrumentation, and atmosphere. While rooted in punk rock's rawness, it diverges through experimental influences and unconventional structures, absorbing elements from various global music traditions, often pushing boundaries beyond punk's simplicity.[28][29]
Simon Reynolds advocated that post-punk be conceived as "less a genre of music than a space of possibility",[30][1] suggesting that "what unites all this activity is a set of open-ended imperatives: innovation; willful oddness; the willful jettisoning of all things precedented or 'rock'n'roll'".[16] Reynolds remarked that post-punk was "not all fractured guitars and angst-racked vocals - it could also be eccentric and ethereal".[30] Although post-punk aims to defy convention, many identifiable musical traits and patterns can still be found across the genre, such as melodic basslines, angular guitars, steady drumming, andspoken singing.[31]
WriterNicholas Lezard described the term "post-punk" as "a fusion of art and music" and "so multifarious that only the broadest use ... is possible".[6] He wrote that the music of the period "was avant-garde, open to any musical possibilities that suggested themselves, united only in the sense that it was very often cerebral, concocted by brainy young men and women interested as much in disturbing the audience, or making them think, as in making a pop song".[32] Artists defined punk as "an imperative to constant change" rather than a standardized template, believing that "radical content demands radical form".[33] Though the music varied widely between regions and artists, post-punk has been characterised by its "conceptual assault" on rock conventions.[17][32][34][17][1][35]
In the 1970s and early 1980s, British post-punk bands were shaped by bleak and deteriorating urban environments, abandonedbrutalist architecture and widespread social disillusionment brought on bydeindustrialization andausterity—trends that intensified underThatcherism.[36][37][38] In the United States, acts in theNew York andOhio punk scene were similarly inspired by their city's harsh, smog-infested industrial landscape to create jagged, chaotic, and dissonant music.[39]
Three key figures—Brian Eno, David Bowie andIggy Pop—played pivotal roles in advancing post-punk in the UK, with each of them heavily drawing from krautrock influences. Ex-Roxy Music member Brian Eno'sdebut andsophomore albums would prove influential. So did Pop'sThe Idiot,[63] produced and largely composed by Bowie, and recorded while in Berlin.[64][65][66] While Bowie'sBerlin Trilogy introduced ambient textures, atmospheric production and synthesizers, which were later described as helping to "pave the way for much of post-punk's bleak, futuristic outlook".[67][68]
American rock bandTelevision in a 1977 publicity photo promoting their debut album,Marquee Moon, a foundational influence on post-punk
In the early-to-mid-1970s, several American bands had already begun expanding the vocabulary of punk music, infusing it with more art-based, literary, and avant-garde influences. Groups associated with New York's CBGB scene—such as Television,Suicide,Talking Heads, and thePatti Smith Group—were notable for pushing punk beyond its raw aggression into more experimental, rhythmically varied, and intellectually driven forms. San Francisco bands likethe Residents were also noted as predecessors to post-punk, and later gained commercial success through thenew wave scene,[70] whileChrome emerged as a key early post-punk group that blended punk energy withpsychedelic elements.[71]
Although post-punk is often viewed as a direct reaction to the explosion ofpunk rock in 1977, music journalist Simon Reynolds observes that many of the groups later labeled as post-punk had roots predating punk's commercial breakthrough:
The truth is that some of the defining post punk groups were actuallyprepunk entities that existed in some form or another for several years beforethe Ramones'1976 debut album.[20]
As punk rock made its commercial breakthrough in 1977, post-punk artists were initially inspired by punk'sDIY ethic and energy,[28] though Reynolds stated by "the summer of 1977, punk had become aparody of itself".[85] The bands ultimately became disillusioned with the style and movement, feeling that it had fallen into a commercial formula, rock convention, and self-parody.[86] They repudiated itspopulist claims to accessibility and raw simplicity, instead of seeing an opportunity to break with musical tradition, subvert commonplaces and challenge audiences, while rejecting aesthetics perceived of astraditionalist,hegemonic orrockist.[85][87]
During the beginning of the punk era, a variety of entrepreneurs interested in local punk-influenced music scenes began founding independent record labels, includingRough Trade (founded by record shop ownerGeoff Travis),Factory (founded byManchester-based television personalityTony Wilson),[89] andFast Product (co-founded by Bob Last and Hilary Morrison).[90][91] By 1977, groups began pointedly pursuing methods of releasing music independently, an idea disseminated in particular byBuzzcocks' release of theirSpiral Scratch EP on their own label as well as the self-released 1977 singles ofDesperate Bicycles, which inspired an early BritishDIY punk movement which included acts such asSwell Maps,'O' Level,the Homosexuals, Beyond the Implode and Television Personalities.[92] TheseDIY imperatives would help form the production and distribution infrastructure of post-punk and theindie music scene that later blossomed in the mid-1980s.[93] Notable post-punk era independent record labels includedRough Trade,4AD,Beggars Banquet,Mute,Industrial,Factory,Fast Records,[94]Glass, andCreation Records.[95][96]
Additionally, the era saw the robust appropriation of ideas from literature, art, cinema,philosophy, politics, andcritical theory into musical and pop cultural contexts.[17][97] Mark Fisher later expanded on this idea and moment inpop culture with his notion of "popular modernism", which described post-punk as emblematic of a period in which theavant-garde and mass culture were not opposed but deeply intertwined.[98][99][100][101]
By late 1977, as the initial punk movement dwindled, British acts such asSiouxsie and the Banshees,Subway Sect,the Prefects,the Slits,Alternative TV andWire were experimenting with sounds, lyrics, and aesthetics that differed significantly from their British punk contemporaries.[102] On 26 November 1977, Jon Savage collectively labelled some of these bands as "new musick".[4] By the 29th of November, Siouxsie and the Banshees performed their firstJohn Peel Session forBBC Radio 1.[103] Music journalistDavid Stubbs ofUncut retroactively claimed that the performance marked the band as the very first group to make the transition from punk to post-punk, "You can hear it in the 1977 Peel sessions here, on 'Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)' – the space in the sound, the serrated guitars."[103]Mojo editor Pat Gilbert had also stated, "The first truly post-punk band were Siouxsie and the Banshees," noting the influence of the band's use of repetition onJoy Division.[104]
A PiL promotional poster, 1980
By January 1978, singerJohn Lydon (then known as Johnny Rotten) announced the break-up of his pioneering punk band theSex Pistols, citing his disillusionment with punk's musical predictability and cooption by commercial interests, as well as his desire to explore more diverse territory.[105] In May, Lydon formed the groupPublic Image Ltd[106] with guitaristKeith Levene and bassistJah Wobble, the latter who declared "rock is obsolete" after citingreggae as a "natural influence".[107] Lydon also drew influence from his other musical interests such asCaptain Beefheart,Iggy Pop and the Stooges andKraftwerk.[108] However, Lydon described his new sound as "total pop with deep meanings. But I don't want to be categorised in any other term but punk! That's where I come from and that's where I'm staying."[109] Later that year, several key acts made releases which helped define British post-punk such as Magazine ("Shot by Both Sides", January 1978), Siouxsie and the Banshees ("Hong Kong Garden", August 1978), Public Image Ltd ("Public Image", October 1978), Cabaret Voltaire (Extended Play, November 1978) andGang of Four ("Damaged Goods", December 1978).[110][nb 5] According to writer Ken Garner, the music industry initially were "not interested" in Siouxsie and the Banshees, untilPolydor Records signed the band, and their debut single reached number 7 on theUK Singles Chart in August 1978.[111][112] Followed by, Public Image Ltd's "Public Image" peaking at number nine in October.[113]
Music historianClinton Heylin places the "true starting-point for English post-punk" somewhere between August 1977 and May 1978, with the arrival of guitaristJohn McKay in Siouxsie and the Banshees in July 1977,Magazine's first album,Wire's new musical direction in 1978 and the formation of Public Image Ltd.[114] Music historianSimon Goddard wrote that the debut albums of those bands layered the foundations of post-punk.[115][32] The unorthodox studio production techniques devised by producers such asSteve Lillywhite,[116]Martin Hannett, andDennis Bovell became important element of the emerging music. Labels such as Rough Trade and Factory would become important hubs for these groups and help facilitate releases, artwork, performances, and promotion.[117][page needed]
Around this time, acts such as Public Image Ltd,the Pop Group andthe Slits had begun experimenting with dance music, dub production techniques and the avant-garde,[118] while punk-indebted Manchester acts such as Joy Division,the Fall,the Durutti Column andA Certain Ratio developed unique styles that drew on a similarly disparate range of influences across music and modernist art.[119] Bands such asScritti Politti, Gang of Four,Essential Logic andThis Heat incorporatedleftist political philosophy and their ownart school studies in their work.[120]Simon Reynolds noted that post-punk reintroduced many of the same qualities such aselitism andintellectualism, found inart rock andprogressive rock, stating: "some accused these experimentalists of merely lapsing back into the art rock elitism that punk originally aimed to destroy [...] Of course, not everyone in postpunk attended art school, or even college. Self-educated [...] figures likeJohn Lydon orMark E. Smith [...] fit the syndrome of the anti-intellectual intellectual".[85]
As these scenes began to develop, British music publications such asNME andSoundsdeveloped an influential part in the nascent post-punk culture, with writers like Savage,Paul Morley andIan Penman developing a dense (and often playful) style of criticism that drew on philosophy, radical politics and an eclectic variety of other sources.[126] Reynolds noted these writers as "activist critics", who played a part in "shaping and directing the culture". He noted that they routinely introduced new trends and genre labels, which were often met with backlash, and that their activity contributed to "the surging-into-the-future feeling of the period."[88][126] He stated "critics could actually intensify and accelerate the development of postpunk music".[126] Writer Mimi Haddon cites Jon Savage, Paul Morley,Kris Needs,Paul Rambali,Vivien Goldman, and Chris Brazier as "integral to an understanding of post-punk".[127] In 1978, UK magazineSounds celebrated albums such as Siouxsie and the Banshees'The Scream, Wire'sChairs Missing, and American bandPere Ubu'sDub Housing.[128] While their 1977 series of articles on "new musick" helped define and bring attention to several early post-punk acts.[7] In 1979,NME championed records such as PiL'sMetal Box, Joy Division'sUnknown Pleasures, Gang of Four'sEntertainment!, Wire's154 andthe Raincoats'self-titled debut.[129]
Talking Heads were one of the few American post-punk bands to reach both a large cult audience and the mainstream.[130]
Midwestern groups such asPere Ubu andDevo[131] drew inspiration from the region's derelictindustrial environments, employing conceptual art techniques,musique concrète and unconventional verbal styles that would presage post-punk by several years, with Ubu's early singles being described by some writers as "post-punk before punk".[132][133] Music journalist Jon Savage described both bands as "post-punk" on November 26, 1977.[4] While Pere Ubu's first British tour in 1978, including their show at Manchester's Rafters in April that year, significantly influenced the burgeoning English post-punk scene, with Savage noting members of the newly formedJoy Division in attendance.[134]
Also emerging during this period was downtown New York'sno wave scene, as well as a short-livedart and music scene that began in part as a reaction against punk's recycling of traditionalist rock tropes, often reflecting an abrasive andnihilistic worldview.[145][146] No wave musicians such asThe Contortions,Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,Mars,DNA,Theoretical Girls, andRhys Chatham instead experimented with noise,dissonance andatonality in addition to non-rock styles.[147] The former four groups were included on the Eno-producedNo New York compilation (1978), often considered the quintessential testament to the scene.[148] The decadent parties and art installations of venues such asClub 57 and theMudd Club would become cultural hubs for musicians and visual artists alike, with figures such asJean-Michel Basquiat,Vincent Gallo,[149]Keith Haring andMichael Holman frequenting the scene.[150] According toVillage Voice writer Steve Anderson, the scene pursued an abrasive reductionism that "undermined the power and mystique of a rock vanguard by depriving it of a tradition to react against".[151] Anderson claimed that the no wave scene represented "New York's last stylistically cohesive avant-rock movement".[151]
However, during this period, major figures and artists in the scene began leaning away from underground aesthetics. In the music press, the increasingly esoteric writing of post-punk publications soon began to alienate their readerships; it is estimated that within several years,NME suffered the loss of half its circulation. Writers like Paul Morley began advocating "overground brightness" instead of the experimental sensibilities promoted in the early years.[155] Morley's own musical collaboration with engineerGary Langan and programmerJ. J. Jeczalik,the Art of Noise, would attempt to bringsampled and electronic sounds to the pop mainstream.[156] Post-punk artists such as Scritti Politti'sGreen Gartside andJosef K'sPaul Haig, previously engaged in avant-garde practices, turned away from these approaches and pursued mainstream styles and commercial success.[157] These new developments, in which post-punk artists attempted to bring subversive ideas into the pop mainstream, began to be categorised under the marketing termnew pop.[17]
New Romantic acts likeBow Wow Wow (left) dealt heavily in outlandish fashion, whilesynthpop artists such asGary Numan (right) made use of electronics and visual stylisation.
Several more pop-oriented groups, includingABC,the Associates,Adam and the Ants andBow Wow Wow (the latter two managed by former Sex Pistols managerMalcolm McLaren) emerged in tandem with the development of theNew Romantic subcultural scene.[158] Emphasizing glamour, fashion and escapism in distinction to the experimental seriousness of earlier post-punk groups, the club-oriented scene drew some suspicion from denizens of the movement but also achieved commercial success. Artists such asGary Numan,Depeche Mode,the Human League,Soft Cell,John Foxx andVisage helped pioneer a newsynthpop style that drew more heavily from electronic and synthesizer music and benefited from the rise ofMTV.[159]
The original post-punk era ended as associated acts turned away from its aesthetics, often in favour of more commercial sounds. Many of these groups would continue recording as part of thenew pop movement, withentryism becoming a popular concept.[154][page needed] In the United States, driven byMTV and modern rock radio stations, a number of post-punk acts had an influence on or became part of theSecond British Invasion of "New Music" there.[163][154][page needed] Some shifted to a more commercial new wave sound (such as Gang of Four),[164][165] while others were fixtures on Americancollege radio and became early examples ofalternative rock, such asR.E.M. One band to emerge from post-punk wasU2,[166] which infused elements of religious imagery and political commentary into its often anthemic music.
This musical revival coincided with a broader culturalnostalgia for analog technology and retro aesthetics. Reflecting these influences, many of these bands adopted fashion styles reminiscent of 1960s and 1970s rock acts, such asthe Velvet Underground andTelevision, as well asglam rock[177] and the earlyNew York punk scene.[178][179] Artists donned "skinny ties, white belts [and] shag haircuts", contributing to a visual aesthetic that was later retroactively labelledindie sleaze.[180][181][182] The revival showcased an emphasis on "rock authenticity" that was seen as a reaction to the commercialism ofMTV-orientednu metal,hip hop[172] and "bland"post-Britpop groups.[183] By the end of the decade, many of the bands associated with the revival had broken up, were on hiatus, or had moved on to other musical styles, with very few making a significant impact on the charts.[184][174][185]
During the 2010s and 2020s, a new wave of experimental post-punk emerged, drawing influences fromno wave,art punk, andpost-rock,[186] often featuring vocalists who "tend to talk more than they sing, reciting lyrics in an alternately disaffected or tightly wound voice", which was an approach originally penned byMark E. Smith ofthe Fall, a band the scene primarily draws influence from.[187] The revival acted in contrast to the 2000sindie-based scene, with the new style originally being spearheaded by groups such asPreoccupations, andProtomartyr[188] in the early 2010s, alongsideParquet Courts,[189] English bandsEagulls,Sleaford Mods andSavages, Danish bandIceage, as well as Canadian bandsOught andWomen.[190][191][192]
During the 1970s and 1980s, under theSoviet Union, an underground music scene influenced by post‑punk pioneers in the West developed inrepublics such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and others. In Russia, prominent post-punk acts were centered inLeningrad, such asKino,Akvarium,Auktyon,Nautilus Pompilius andPiknik.[203][204][205]
By the 2010s, artists such as Belarussian bandMolchat Doma drew influence from Soviet era post-punk, though were cited asdark wave byThe Guardian.[206][207] In the 2020s, countries such as Lithuania began to develop their own post-punk scenes.[208]
In post-Francoist Spain during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the influence of punk rock led toLa Movida Madrileña (The Madrid Scene),[211] a countercultural movement centered inMadrid that emerged after the death of Spanish dictatorFrancisco Franco. The movement musically drew influences from post-punk,synth-pop and new wave music.[212] In the 2010s and 2020s, the Spanish post-punk scene became encompassed by acts such as Depresión Sonora.[213]
New musick is a loosely defined style of music which primarily draws influences fromelectronic music, particularly the use ofsynthesizers.[223][224] The term was originally coined after a meeting organized bySounds editorAlan Lewis involving music journalists Jane Suck, Sandy Robertson andJon Savage in October 1977.[225] Writer Mimi Haddon argues, the term was initially used by Savage to describe an intellectual evolution of punk rock in efforts to "bring substance to the new wave".[226] Savage notes the label could be thought of as a subsection of post-punk.[227] Simon Reynolds regarded new musick as the "industrial/dystopianscience-fiction side of post-punk".[8]
Cold wave is a music genre that emerged out of post-punk and dark wave in late 1970sEurope, particularlyFrance andBelgium. It is characterized by minimalist arrangements, icy synthesizers, melancholic vocals, and detached emotional tones. Bands likeTrisomie 21,Asylum Party, andMartin Dupont are often associated with the genre, which shares ties with dark wave and laterminimal wave.
Gothic rock (also known asgoth rock or simplygoth) is a subgenre of rock music that emerged out of British post-punk during the late 1970s. Characterized by minor chords, reverb, dark arrangements, and melancholic melodies. The genre became the foundation for the widergoth subculture and influenced related genres likedark wave andethereal wave.
Dance-punk (originally known asdisco-punk) is a subgenre of post-punk that merges elements of punk rock anddance music. Originally emerging in the late 1970s, the style is characterized by angular guitar riffs, driving basslines, and rhythmic, funk-influenced percussion. Notable acts such asGang of Four,Liquid Liquid, andESG helped pioneer the sound, which later saw a revival in the early 2000s through groups likeLCD Soundsystem,!!!, andthe Rapture.
Dark wave is a music genre that emerged out ofnew wave and post-punk in the late 1970s, blending gothic atmospheres with synthesizer-driven textures and somber lyricism. It became closely associated with gothic rock, though later evolved into several electronic variants in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in Germany.
New pop refers to a movement within early 1980sBritish popular music that sought to combine the experimental sensibilities of post-punk with mainstream accessibility. Characterized by bright production, stylish presentation, and melodic songwriting, it produced artists such asABC,The Human League,Culture Club, andDuran Duran, many of whom achieved international commercial success.[228]
Ethereal wave (also known asethereal darkwave or simplyethereal) is a subgenre ofdark wave andgothic rock that emerged in the early 1980s. Characterized by lush, reverb-heavy textures, atmospheric guitars, and often female vocals conveying dreamlike or spiritual themes. Notable artists includeCocteau Twins,Dead Can Dance, andThis Mortal Coil, many of whom were associated with the4AD record label.
Doomer wave (also known asdoomerwave or simplydoomer) is an online musicmicrogenre coined by anonymous users on4chan in 2018 to describe an offshoot of theWojak meme known as "doomer wojak".[229][230] The style was originally associated withslowed down versions of depressive tracks as inspired by thevaporwave microgenre.[230]Pitchfork described the "doomer" as "anihilistic, 20-something male whose despair about the world causes him to retreat from traditional society".[229] The term later expanded to encompass the "doomer girl" archetype.[231] In 2020, Belarussian post-punk band Molchat Doma garneredinternet virality throughonline memes andplaylists which referred to them as "Russian doomer music" or "doomer wave".[229][230]
^Punk rock, whose criteria and categorisation fluctuated throughout the early 1970s, was a crystallised genre by 1976 or 1977.[2]
^According to criticSimon Reynolds, Savage introduced the term "new musick", which may refer to the more science-fiction and industrial sides of post-punk.[9]
^In rock music of the era, "art" carried connotations that meant "aggressively avant-garde" or "pretentiously progressive".[14] Additionally, there were concerns over theauthenticity of such bands.[13]
^Gang of Four producer Bob Last said that "Damaged Goods" was post-punk's turning point, saying, "Not to take anything way fromPiL – that was a very powerful gesture forJohn Lydon to go in that direction – but the die had already been cast. The postmodern idea of toying with convention in rock music: we claim that."[110]
^abcdefKitty Empire (17 April 2005)."Never mind the Sex Pistols".The Guardian (Book review: Simon Reynolds,Rip It Up And Start Again: Post-Punk 1978–1984).Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved17 February 2016.
^Berman, Stuart (13 November 2014)."Pipers at the Gates of Punk".Pitchfork. Retrieved16 October 2025.Among fans of punk and its myriad subgenre offshoots (post-punk, goth, industrial, indie rock,
^Abjorensen, Norman (2017).Historical Dictionary of Popular Music. Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts. Lanham, MD & London: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151.ISBN978-1538102145.Dub has influenced many genres of music, including rock (most significantly the subgenre post-punk and other kinds of punk).
^Reynolds 2005, p. xvii, "On one side were the populist 'real punks' ... who believed that the music needed to stay accessible and unpretentious, to continue to fill its role as the angry voice of the streets. On the other side was the vanguard that came to be known as postpunk, who saw 1977 not as a return to raw rock 'n' roll but as a chance to make a break with tradition".
^Stanley, Bob (2014).Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé. W. W. Norton & Co.
^Stubbs, David (2024). "Krautrock and British Post-Punk". In Reising, Russell (ed.).The Cambridge Companion to Krautrock. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved26 June 2025.
^Reynolds 2005, p. xvii, "They dedicated themselves to fulfilling punk's uncompleted musical revolution, exploring new possibilities by embracing electronics, noise, jazz, and the classical avant-garde".
^Reynolds 2005, p. xxix, "Beyond the musicians, there was a whole cadre of catalysts and culture warriors, enablers and ideologues who started labels, managed bands, became innovative producers, published fanzines, ran hipster record stores, promoted gigs and organised festivals".
^abStubbs, David (July 2009). "Siouxsie and the BansheesAt the BBC [review]".Uncut.the very first group to make the transition from punk's stage invasion to the more developed theatre of post-punk. You can hear it in the 1977 Peel sessions here, on "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)" - the space in the sound, the serrated guitars.
^"Classified Advertisements / Work/ Musicians Wanted".Melody Maker. 6 May 1978. p. 30.Drummer Wanted to play on/off beat for modern band with fashionable outlook and rather well known singer. - Virgin Records, 727 8070
^Spencer, Neil (27 May 1978). "Introducing Johnny Rotten's Lonely Hearts Club Band".NME.We talk about the differences between the rock culture and the reggae culture, which I suggest has a good deal more dignity than most rock bands or acts can muster. Both Levene and Wobble agree. 'Rock is obsolete,' says Wobble. 'But it's our music, our basic culture. People thought we were gonna play reggae, but we ain't gonna be no GT Moore and the Reggae Guitars or nothing. It's just a natural influence – like I play heavy on the bass.'
^Garner, Ken (4 October 2007).The Peel Sessions: A Story of Teenage Dreams and One Man's Love of New Music (First ed.). London: BBC Books. p. 99.ISBN978-1-84607-282-6.
^Goddard 2010, p. 393: "Produced by Steve Lillywhite, [The Scream] arrived between Magazine'sReal Life and Public Image Ltd'sPublic Image as the second in that year's triptych of albums layering the foundations of post-punk."
^Abbey, E. J. (2006).Garage Rock and its Roots: Musical Rebels and the Drive for Individuality. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 105–112.ISBN0-7864-2564-4.
Cieślak, Magdalena; Rasmus, Agnieszka (2012).Against and Beyond: Subversion and Transgression in Mass Media, Popular Culture and Performance. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.ISBN978-1-4438-3773-6.
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