Paramore are not a punk band

Opening StatementsI'll start off by saying that I see this debate as having a shared burden of proof. I conclude this based on the title of the debate and Freyalibra3's statement that many people consider Paramore to be a punk band (which I will explain further in the next paragraph). I will be presenting evidence for my counterclaim that Paramore is, in fact, a punk band.So far, my opponent has admitted that many consider Paramore to be a punk band and has provided no evidence that these people are somehow wrong. The artists that belong to particular genres are determined by people, so the fact that many people consider Paramore to be a punk band is evidence that it is a punk band. Instead of explaining why Paramore is not a punk band despite popular opinion, my opponent has only asserted that Paramore's music does not belong to the punk genre. Therefore, just from my opponent's opening statement, the debate leans in my favour, and I really have no need to argue further at this point. I will, however, make a stronger case to defend my claim that Paramore is a punk band. Since my opponent accepts that Paramore is a band, I only need to support the claim that they can accurately be labeled as belonging to the punk genre. Also, whether or not Paramore is a "good" band is irrelevant to the debate. This could be compared to making the claim that salt is not used often to season food because one does not like the taste.DefinitionsSince my opponent has not defined any terms, I will do so now:Genre- a broad category of music used to group artists and songs based on similar qualities and stylePunk- generally characterized as a loud, fast-moving, and aggressive genre of rock music that includes sub-genres such as hardcore punk, pop punk, etc.; typical punk rock instrumentation includes one or two electric guitars, an electric bass, and a drum kit, along with vocals; also known as punk rock [0,1]Pop punk- a fusion sub-genre of punk; the music typically combines fast punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars with pop-influenced melodies and lyrical themes [1,2]Punk band- a band whose songs and most notable works often fall under the punk genreSince it has already been established that Paramore is a band, the specific definition of band is not relevant.Technical ArgumentParamore can be seen to be a punk band because they meet all the characteristics of the definition of punk and pop punk. Their songs include electric guitars, drums, an electric bass, and vocals. To further narrow this classification, their songs are often fast-moving and aggressive and they are widely considered to be part of the pop punk sub-genre of punk (which I will get to in my next point). Argument from PerceptionHumans give power to labels, and labels can only be seen as meaningful with widespread human perception of a label in mind. As I have said, the qualifications that determine what genre a band is are subjectively created and therefore are determined by perception. This is analogous to how words are perceived to correspond to objects and are defined based on these perceptions. In this way, genres are seen to correspond to specific characteristics of music and are established as such. Because it is popular opinion and perception that determine what constitutes a genre, it is general perception that can be said to determine what genre a band is. A single genre can describe a very wide range of music. There are all sorts of sub-genres of rock music that have very different artists. Furthermore, genres evolve to encompass even more diverse types of music. Rock and roll is a good example of this. Rock has branched out into many different sub-genres since its origin. This is why it is not surprising that Elvis Presley, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, and Thrice have all been called rock. Similarly, punk does not have to be a very specific label. This can be seen in that fact that a wide range of artists that may better be classified under a more specific genre, such as Rise Against, are sometimes tagged as punk on certain music sites and on CDs. There is very much overlap between genres, and works within a genre of music can vary greatly just as a fantasy novel can be about anything from elves and dragons to modern day wizards or vampires.All this being said, it is accurate to classify Paramore as a punk band because many people feel that they meet the requirements and define them as such. Paramore is considered to be a part of the pop-punk genre. One only needs to look to the fans and those familiar with the band to get this answer, but I will give more than just anecdotal, contained evidence. Wikipedia lists Paramore as being of the pop punk genre. This is based on the perception of a great number of people. Last fm also lists pop punk as a genre for Paramore [4].ConclusionTo claim that Paramore is not a punk band does not change the fact that a large number people agree that they should be considered a pop punk band. This is analogous to making the claim that a word should be defined differently in the dictionary, even though that definition is consistent with common usage. Unless my opponent can convince the world to stop labeling Paramore in this manner, than Paramore remains a punk band both by the definition listed here and by popular perception.I eagerly await Freyalibra3's rebuttal.[0] http://en.wikipedia.org...[1] http://en.wikipedia.org...[2] http://en.wikipedia.org...[3] http://en.wikipedia.org...[4] http://www.last.fm...