Claim: Punk rock is a genre of rock.

Punk rock -LRB- or simply `` punk '' -RRB- is a rock music genre that developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United States , United Kingdom , and Australia . Rooted in 1960s garage rock and other forms of what is now known as `` proto-punk '' music , punk rock bands rejected perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock . Punk bands typically produced short or fast-paced songs , with hard-edged melodies and singing styles , stripped-down instrumentation , and often political , anti-establishment lyrics . Punk embraces a DIY ethic ; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through informal channels .   The term `` punk '' was first used in relation to rock music by some American critics in the early 1970s , to describe garage bands and their devotees . By late 1976 , bands such as the New York Dolls , Television , and the Ramones in New York City , and the Sex Pistols , the Clash , and the Damned in London were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement . The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world , and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom . For the most part , punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream . An associated punk subculture emerged , expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment -LRB- ranging from deliberately offensive T-shirts , leather jackets , spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry to bondage and S&M clothes -RRB- and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies .   By the early 1980s , faster and more aggressive styles such as hardcore punk -LRB- e.g. Minor Threat -RRB- , street punk -LRB- e.g. the Exploited -RRB- , and anarcho-punk -LRB- e.g. Crass -RRB- had become the predominant mode of punk rock . Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations , giving rise to post-punk and new wave and later indie pop , alternative rock , and noise rock . By the 1990s , punk rock had re-emerged in the mainstream , as pop punk bands such as Green Day and the Offspring brought the genre widespread popularity .