We list some of the best Punk rock bands of all time. Punk rock is a subgenre of rock ‘n’ roll music that emerged in the mid-1970s as disco, progressive rock, and string-heavy pop dominated the music charts. Often politicized and full of vital energy beneath a sarcastic, hostile facade, punk spread as an ideology and an aesthetic approach, becoming an archetype of teen rebellion and alienation. Following alternative rock’s mainstream breakthrough in the 1990s with Nirvana, punk rock saw renewed interest and mainstream appeal with the rise of the California bands Green Day, Social Distortion, Rancid, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX and Jawbreaker.
1. Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1986 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt. For much of the band’s career, they have been a trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 prior to the recording of the band’s second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Now considered one of the best-selling independent albums of all time, Kerplunk has sold almost 2 million copies internationally. Green Day’s success was built by forging a unique musical path on their own terms. The landmark album Dookie was released in 1994, as record Fuse Magazine called “the most important pop-punk album of all time.” With the massive popularity of singles like “Longview”, “Basket Case”, and “When I Come Around,” the album sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S., making Green Day became a bona fide musical phenomenon. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them. The band was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015
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- The Best and Most Misunderstood of Green Day, According to Billie Joe Armstrong
- Inside Green Day’s Revolutionary Rebirth – Rolling Stone
- Why Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ is still so relevant today
2. Blink-182
One of the most iconic punk rock bands of all time, Blink-182 helped shape the face of rock music during the 90s. The band was formed in August 1992 and originally consisted of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor. Raynor was replaced by Travis Barker in 1998 due to some issues with alcohol on Scott’s part. Their third studio album Enema of the State (1999) was an enormous success on the strength of hit singles “What’s My Age Again?”, “Adam’s Song” and “All the Small Things”, which enjoyed massive airplay and became MTV staples. The follow-up album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) reached number one in the United States, Canada, and Germany. The eponymously titled Blink-182 followed in 2003 and marked a stylistic shift for the group, infusing experimental elements into the group’s usual pop punk formula, resulting in a more mature sound. The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide.
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Read more:
- Don’t Grow Up, Blow Up: The Rise of Blink-182
- Why did Blink-182’s original line-up split and why did Tom DeLonge leave the band?
- All of Blink-182’s albums ranked, from ‘Dude Ranch’ to ‘California’
3. The Offspring
The Offspring is a punk rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, United States in 1984. Since its formation, the band’s line-up had included Dexter Holland (lead vocals, guitar), Noodles (lead and rhythm guitars, back vocals), Greg K. (bass, back vocals), and Ron Welty (drums, percussion), who left in 2003. The Offspring is credited—alongside fellow California skate punk, ska punk, and pop punk bands Bad Religion, NOFX, Sublime, Green Day, and Rancid—for popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States in the 1990s. They have sold over 40 million records worldwide.
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Read more:
- The One With The Conservative Agenda: Why The Offspring Is Punk’s Equivalent Of Friends
- The Offspring: “Punk rock taught us to question everything”
4. My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from New Jersey, United States formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro, Frank Iero and bassist Mikey Way. With their emo-punk songwriting, theatrical vocals, and neo-goth appearance, My Chemical Romance rose from the East Coast underground to the forefront of modern rock during the early 2000s. They released their major label debut Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004; the album was a commercial success, and was awarded platinum status a little over a year later. The band eclipsed their previous success with their 2006 concept album, The Black Parade, which gained generally favorable reviews among music critics. In 2014, the band released May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits (2001–2013), a greatest hits album containing material spanning their entire career, as well as some previously unreleased material.
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Read more:
- How a Sucker Punch Fueled the Rise of My Chemical Romance – Rolling Stone
- The Case for My Chemical Romance As the Last Great Punk Rock Band
- My Chemical Romance fans on the band’s impact as legendary rockers finally return
5. The Clash
The Clash were originally formed when Bernie Rhodes, friend and business rival of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, tried to form his own punk rock group. He recruited guitarist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Terry Chimes from protopunk band London S.S. One saturday Jones and Simonon saw pub rock band The 101’ers and, though they didn’t like the band, they were impressed by the group’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, telling him this after the gig and by the Monday he had left his band and joined theirs, along with additional lead guitarist Keith Levene. After several name suggestions, the name The Clash was finally suggested by Simonon in reference to the culture clash at the heart of the punk rock movement. In January 2003, shortly after the death of Joe Strummer, the band—including original drummer Terry Chimes—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Clash number 28 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.
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Read more:
- What Was So Great About The Clash?
- The Global Impact Of THE CLASH: “The Only Band That Mattered’
- The Rise and Fall of The Clash Is Gripping, Important, But Has Holes
6. Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario, active since 1996. The band released their debut album, All Killer No Filler in 2001. The band achieved mainstream success with their first single from the album, “Fat Lip”, which reached number-one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and remains the band’s most successful single to date. All Killer No Filler was certified platinum in the United States, Canada and in the UK. The band has since released three more studio albums: Does This Look Infected? (2002), Chuck (2004) and Underclass Hero (2007). All three albums have been certified platinum in Canada. From their formation to 2016, Sum 41 were the 31st best-selling Canadian artist in Canada and among the top 10 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.
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- Sum 41 Are Finally the Band They Always Knew They Were — but Better
- Sum 41: “We’re not ashamed of anything, we’re not afraid of anything – we just do what we do”
- Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley on ‘All Killer No Filler’: ‘For the Longest Time, I Thought It Wasn’t Very Good’
7. Rise Against
Rise Against is an American Melodic Hardcore/Hardcore Punk band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it released two studio albums, The Unraveling (2001) and Revolutions per Minute (2003). Both the albums met with considerable underground success and in 2003, the band signed onto the major label, Geffen. The band’s major label debut Siren Song of the Counter Culture brought the band mainstream success, producing several successful singles. The band’s fourth studio album, The Sufferer & the Witness debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart and received positive reviews from critics. The band’s fifth studio album Appeal to Reason was released on October 7, 2008 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. Rise Against is also known for their advocacy of progressivism, supporting organizations such as Amnesty International and the It Gets Better Project. The band actively promotes animal rights and most of the members are straight edge, PETA supporters and vegetarians.
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- Rise Against – ‘We’re Not Preaching, We’re Just Stating The Facts’
- Rise Against: “Ideas like racism and sexism never went away. If you ignore them, they inch forward
- Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath: “If people had a ‘Tim for president’ bumper sticker, I’d say, ‘Slow down, I’m often full of as many questions as you are’”
8. Ramones
Ramones were a punk rock band that formed in Queens, New York, United States, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk group. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and the United Kingdom. They were influenced by the thunder and flash of the Who and the MC5, the speed and primitivism of Iggy and the Stooges, and the alternately sullen and goofy musings of ’60s garage rock. The Ramones ranked number 26 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and number 17 in VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”. On March 18, 2002, the original four members and Tommy’s replacement on drums, Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, though Joey had died by then. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Read more:
- The Curse of the Ramones – Rolling Stone
- How the Ramones became punk pioneers
- 11 Interesting Facts About the Ramones
9. AFI
AFI (A Fire Inside) is an American punk rock band from Ukiah, California, formed in 1991. The band’s lineup stabilized in 1998 with lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backing vocalist Adam Carson, bassist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Hunter Burgan, and guitarist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Jade Puget. Havok and Carson are the sole remaining original members. The band remained at the fore of the modern rock scene for the next two decades, releasing a string of chart-topping efforts like Sing the Sorrow (2003), Decemberunderground (2006), and AFI (2017). They continued to take punk music in exciting directions with 2018’s The Missing Man EP and 2021’s Bodies. Originally a hardcore punk band, they have since delved into many genres, starting with horror punk and following through post-hardcore and emo into alternative rock and gothic rock.
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Read more:
- AFI remains proud they’re ‘not just clinging to things we did two decades ago’
- Pop Shop Podcast: AFI Is Healthier Than Your Favorite Band
- Bands You Weren’t Supposed to Like: AFI
10. Billy Talent
Billy Talent is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock band formed in 1993. They performed and recorded together for about a decade before finding a wide mainstream following. Originally called Pezz, the group originates from Streetsville, in Mississauga, Ontario, but now hail from Toronto, Ontario. Although they are often described as having punk rock roots, they did not emulate popular bands at the time. They broke out into mainstream success in 2003 when their Juno Award-winning debut Billy Talent went quadruple-platinum, sending them on an upward trajectory for much of the decade. As they began to incorporate new elements into their music, their fans followed, helping to lift each of their subsequent studio albums — including the multi-platinum Billy Talent II and III — to the top of the Canadian Albums chart.
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11. Misfits
The Misfits are a American Horror Punk band that started in Lodi, New Jersey in 1977.Blending in Punk and other musical incluence such as 1950s Rock n Roll and Rockabilly, with horror films, Science Fiction films and imagery.They are an influential band, influencing Metal, Rock and Punk. Their name came from Marilyn Monroe’s last film, as Glenn Danzig was very interested in the rumors about her death. The band has gone through many lineup changes over the years, with bassist Jerry Only being the only constant member in the group. The Misfits disbanded in 1983, and Glenn Danzig went on to form Samhain and then Danzig.
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- Horror Is Metal: Misfits, The Band That Wouldn’t Die
- It’s Never Too Late to Become a Misfits Fan, but It’ll Cost You
- Misfits: “Our skull was more well known than our music”
- The Misfits’ Glenn Danzig: “We were angrier, we were faster, and we were louder”
- An Appreciation of the Misfits – Scene+Heard
12. Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a hardcore punk band that was originally formed in southern California in 1980 by Jay Bentley,Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, and Jay Ziskrout. This band is often credited for leading the revival of punk rock during the late 1980s, as well as influencing a large number of other punk and rock musicians throughout their career. They released Suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with “saving” the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion’s contemporaries alike.
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- The Genius Of… The Process Of Belief By Bad Religion
- Bad Religion, the ‘McCartney and Lennon of punk’
- Bad Religion: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
- How Bad Religion’s ‘How Could Hell Be Any Worse’ and ‘The Process of Belief’ Are Still Popular Years Later
13. Rancid
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. The band’s songs reflect its advocacy for populist radical politics, near-religious practice of DIY ethics, and discontent with punk elitism.
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Read more:
- Rancid: The Sweet Smell of Success – Rolling Stone
- Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen: “The way people are being coddled is why the pendulum is swinging so much.”
- 10 things you probably didn’t know about Tim Armstrong (Rancid)
- Rancid: Spin’s 1995 Cover Story, In Punk We Trust
14. NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles. The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up. The band rose to popularity in 1994 with their album Punk in Drublic which was certified gold, and is now considered a classic punk album by fans and critics alike. NOFX are also known for their strong anti-mainstream attitude. They have disallowed radio play of almost all of their albums, and have disallowed repeated requests by MTV to play their videos. Despite this, NOFX has retained a relatively large fan base, which they point to as proof that you can be famous without selling out.
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- What You Don’t Know About NOFX
- After three decades of offending everyone, NOFX finally loses its hard-earned punk rock cred
- Fat Mike Is No ‘Punk Rock Cliché’
- NOFX’s Fat Mike: “Eagles told us our cover of their song was the worst they’d ever heard”
15. Fugazi
Fugazi is a punk rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band’s continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. Fugazi are noted for their DIY ethical stance and manner of business practice. The band maintained a policy of affordable access to their work through low record and ticket prices and all-ages concerts. They’ve also been on an indefinite hiatus since 2003.
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- Too Straight Edge for Hardcore: The Story of Fugazi – TIDAL
- The Untold Truth Of Fugazi
- Fugazi By The Numbers: Exploring The Punk Band’s History
16. Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. Pioneers of hardcore punk during the 1980s, the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene. Their music mixed the more experimental elements of British 1970s punk with the raw energy of the 1980s American hardcore punk scene. Dead Kennedys’ songs mixed deliberately extreme lyrics with satire, sarcasm, and irony of social and political issues of the 1980s. Although Dead Kennedys have continued to perform live over the years, they have not released any new material since the release of their fourth studio album Bedtime for Democracy in 1986.
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17. The Stooges
The Stooges (also known as Iggy and the Stooges) were an American rock group that was formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States in 1967. Featuring a bombastic proto-punk sound, they released three studio albums before breaking up in 1974. Despite picking up little to no chart or radio success, the band has proved to be one of the most influential rock groups of the past several decades, inspiring many artists such as the Ramones.
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Read more:
- How Iggy and the Stooges Invented Punk
- Cult Heroes: The Stooges – the chaotic tale of America’s first punk band
- How The Stooges Set the Stage for Punk More Than 50 Years Ago
18. Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing vocals), and David Hidalgo, Jr. (drums). Social Distortion went on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to frontman Ness’ drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Since its inception, the band lineup has been a virtual revolving-door of talent with many members coming and going – Ness has been the only constant member.
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Read more:
- Sick Boys: Our 1991 Social Distortion Feature
- Story of My Life: Mike Ness Talks 25 Years of ‘Social Distortion’ – Rolling Stone
- Doing it his way: Mike Ness of Social Distortion keeps the band as original as he can
- 10 things you may (or may not) know about Social Distortion
19. The Cramps
The Cramps were an American punk rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist and occasional bass guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members. The addition of band members guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Pam Ballam comprised the first complete lineup in April 1976. They were part of the early CBGB punk rock movement that had emerged in New York. The Cramps are noted as influencing a number of musical styles: not only were they one of the first garage punk bands, they are also widely recognized as one of the prime innovators of psychobilly.
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Read more:
- In Praise of The Cramps, the Scariest Band of All Time
- The Cramps circa ’79: falling in love with punk rock’s most psychotic band
- The Cramps, Mutants Documentary Goes Behind the Scenes of Legendary Concert – Rolling Stone
- Poison Ivy Of The Cramps: Uncrowned Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
- Shocking Omissions: The Raw Rock Devotion Of The Cramps’ ‘Songs The Lord Taught Us’
20. Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley. They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial success with singles that fused pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady, described by critic Ned Raggett as a “punk masterpiece”. The widely covered “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” remains one of their best-known songs.
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- Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley Punk Influence Still Reverberates
- Buzzcocks’ Steve Diggle Looks Back on Their Pop-Punk Classics
- Never mind 45 years, punk icons Buzzcocks still rage with new music
Honorable mentions
- Pennywise
- Anti-Flag
- Alkaline Trio
- Descendents
- Generation X
- Against Me!
- The Bouncing Souls
- The Damned
- Minor Threat
- Black Flag
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