punk music

Cher Strauberry is breaking down stereotypes in punk rock—here's how

Growing up in California, Cher Strauberry was practically raised in her local punk scene. Surrounded by mosh pits since the age of 10, the 28-year-old is dropping her debut full-length, Chering Is Caring, in June. A lot of time went into the LP—three years, to be precise—and the singer believes it finally deserves to see […]

10 essential punk Christmas songs to add to your holiday playlist

Christmas is quite possibly the most musically controversial holiday of the year. Not everyone digs the varying styles of seasonal music, though it’s a genre unto itself. You have the ancient carols, full of religious imagery, usually sung by hoary old choirs. The early 20th century’s awash with hokey Tin Pan Alley Christmas standards, sung […]

20 LGBTQIA+ artists giving the world a big middle finger right now

It’s an election year, the world is in the middle of a pandemic and the importance of fighting for the rights of underserved and marginalized people is bigger than ever. One thing we can be grateful for is punk rock. Be it in sound or spirit, punk is a driving force we need to keep […]

QUIZ: Do you know when these classic ’70s punk albums were released?

Record collectors of any sort can be a persnickety bunch. But few can be worse than punk-rock record collectors with titles spanning from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and beyond. They can make Simpsons character Jeffrey “Jeff” Albertson (aka “Comic Book Guy”) look positively well-adjusted. Come on: In a world in chaos, much like the lyrics […]

These black artists built the foundation of rock music as we know it

It cannot be denied that some of the most enduring and exciting music and culture created in the punk and alternative-rock scenes were made by people of color. From the early days of Rock Against Racism in the U.K. to the game-changing awareness of the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene, these black artists were there all […]

10 essential punk bands to keep an eye on in 2020

2020 is rapidly approaching, which means this decade is coming to a close. Because we are coming closer to our generation’s roaring (or RAWRing) ’20s, let’s not get sad and instead take a look at some essential punk bands to watch in 2020.  Maybe punk isn’t exactly what Jay Gatsby was listening to, but we […]

Green Day called out by Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten

Cantankerous Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd frontman Johnny Rotten challenges Green Day‘s lasting impact on punk rock in a new interview with The New York Times, the 62-year-old musician saying it’s “embarrassing” that punk bands inspired by the popular East Bay trio are still rocking “spiky haircuts” and “trying to keep 1978 alive.” Read […]