punk rock

American  

noun

1. a type of rock-'n'-roll, reaching its peak in the late 1970s and characterized by loud, insistent music and abusive or violent protest lyrics, and whose performers and followers are distinguished by extremes of dress and socially defiant behavior.

---

punk rock British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: punk.  a fast abrasive style of rock music of the late 1970s, characterized by aggressive or offensive lyrics and performance

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• punk rocker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of punk rock

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

It was while living in Cape Town he formed the punk rock band Riot Squad SA.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

The area’s punk rock lineage is not only part of the festival’s identity, but also built into one of its more unique features: the Speakeasy Stage, where punk musicians perform stripped-down acoustic sets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

It is about punk rock and the inevitable commercialization of it.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

He had a strong hand in the distinctive blend of funk, punk rock and jazz created by Joseph Bowie’s Defunkt, a mainstay of the downtown scene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Furthermore, I thought I would have time to make a preshow mix in which the odd-numbered tracks are punk rock and the even-numbered tracks are from musicals.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan