Punk (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Punk is a subculture based on a shared set of styles distinct from those of popular culture and other subcultures. Punk pioneers coined the term in 1971 when they performed a gig entitled "A Punk Music Mass". Punk emerged in the United Kingdom and the United States in the mid-1970s. Today, punk is made up of an assortment of smaller subcultures.

Music is the most important aspect of punk. Punk music is called punk rock, sometimes shortened to punk. Most punk rock is a specific style of the rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s from its roots in various rock styles.

Punk ideology is concerned most with a belief in an individual's intrinsic right to freedom and how best to encourage, maximize and live a less restricted lifestyle. Common punk ethics include a radical rejection of mainstream conformity, living according to the DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic. Subsequently some common trends in punk politics include anti-authoritarianism, anti-militarism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anti-nationalism, environmentalism, vegetarianism, veganism, and animal rights.

Fashion. Punks seek to outrage propriety with the highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry and body modification. Punk clothing adapts existing objects for aesthetic effect: previously ripped clothes are held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape, written on with marker or defaced with paint; a black bin liner bag (garbage bag) might become a dress, shirt or skirt. Leather, rubber and vinyl clothing are also common.

Punk visual art is usually straightforward with clear messages, often concerning political issues such as social injustice and economic disparity. The use of images of suffering to shock and create feelings of empathy in the viewer is common. Alternatively, images may contain images of selfishness, stupidity, or apathy to provoke contempt in the viewer.

Lifestyle and community. Participants in the punk subculture are called punks, punk rockers, or, less often, punkers. Punks are typically adolescents or young adults from working class or middle class backgrounds. Punks mostly interact with one another in their local area, forming a local punk scene which is typically made up of: several bands who perform music at shows and record albums; fans who attend these shows and purchase these albums; independent record labels which produce these albums; zine makers who document the activity of the bands, fans and labels; visual artists who create artwork for these shows, albums, labels and zines; and fashion designers who create clothing and accessories. Punk houses, punk parties, basement shows, and cassette culture also serve as important components of a punk scene. In recent years, the Internet and file sharing programs have been playing increasingly larger roles in punk. Punk is largely male-dominated, though punks rarely tolerate overt sexism. Although the punk subculture is overwhelmingly anti-racist, it is homogeneously white, especially in Europe and North America, and some fringe punk factions espouse views of white supremacy. These groups are usually treated with open hostility by the rest of the subculture.