PunkBunny

So I grew up listening to modern punk rock, pop punk, skate punk, emo, hardcore etc. (I'm 20) and so I'm not very familiar with anything that came before the mid to late 90s. So I know punk in general has been around as long as the other rock genres that we all know and worship, but what really confuses me is the relation between punk and post-punk... Could someone please explain to me why "post-punk" contains the word "punk" when it doesn't really resemble the "punk" I know and love. Post-punk sounds like it belongs under Alternative rock along with indie rock and garage rock and gothic rock etc. Punk is not an alternative rock subgenre, so then why does this "post-punk" even coexist?

Frownland

Because.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

EPOCH6

To understand the link between roots genres and their subgenres you always have to look at the first wave of artists, not necessarily what the subgenre looks like today almost 40 years later.

I'm not much of a post-punk buff but from what I understand it started in the late 70s with bands like Siouxsie & the Banshees and Wire.

This is Siouxsie & the Banshees in '79:



That's pretty punk.

A couple of years later in '81:



Things are getting weirder and "post-ier" but the roots are still there, you can still smell the punk.

This is '77:



Again you can still smell the punk but it's definitely evolving, this is one of the less adventurous tracks on the album.

Somebody that actually knows post-punk well will be able to give better insight but I think at the most basic level post-punk bands were basically adventurous punks taking what they know about punk, their snarky vocals, their crinkly guitar tones, and their disdain for traditional rock and roll tropes and pushing the genre in more experimental directions from within. Fast forward 40 years and yeah the roots may not be as evident as they once were, but trace back the influences far enough and it all makes sense.

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PunkBunny

Yea with siouxies & the banshees I know they experimented around with a few genres, but primarily under Alternative Rock at least from today's perspective. Regardless I would consider them gothic rock/new wave more than anything else, and I suppose that goes along with all post-punk bands... But I would never label a band as "post-punk", it just doesn't feel right coming from a diehard punk music fan such as myself.

OccultHawk

That means you know almost nothing about punk rock. Go learn the basics. If you have question about a specific band or record that would make it possible to deal with your question. No Wave happened so fast it was almost like punk's mother had a ****ing abortion.

OccultHawk

Not very familiar with anything pre 90's?

PunkBunny

Nope. I'm one of those modern-age revolutionary and past-ignorant kind of people

Key

So hipsters have something to complain about.

DeadChannel

Because it developed out of punk, but wasn't exactly the same as punk?

Key

Is there such thing as cis-punk? And if so, is it a male or female?