Locating trends of social, cultural and political expression within American and British punk and post-punk music

Within this dissertation I explore the ways in which punk, as both a musical genre and a form of thinking, has served as a forum for social, cultural, and political expression. Initially the focus is on the genesis of punk, in the late 1970s, and reference is made to the social context in which bands such as The Clash and the Sex Pistols were formed, as well as the intent of such bands. Their purpose, and in turn, their origin, is studied as a suggestion of what lead to the creation of punk. Following this, the next stage of punk as a sub-cultural form is taken under consideration. The hardcore and Straight Edge movements serve as bases for discussion concerning the expressive evolution of the punk ethic, as does post-punk, which is grounded in a more overtly artistic origin. Finally, the contemporary punk scene is investigated, and cast against the original intentions of the movement. Issues of authenticity are raised when looking at the rise of pop-punk, and notions of heritage and derivation are also brought to the fore. The piece closes with a discussion of what 'punk' as a term truly represents, and the suggestion that punk ideology is being refined and expressed within modern music in ways that are unarguably valid and authentic, via their link to the values which are held at the core of the sub-culture.