Punk Rock Influence On American Culture

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What do you call a rock that listens to The Ramones? Punk Rock. While some people are familiar with this genre of music, there are others who have no clue what music it is. However, depending on the person, that may be a good thing. The Punk Rock genre of music has affected American society because of trends, behavior, stereotypes, parenting, and suicide rates. Punk "started out as a music-based subculture” (LeBlanc 33). The evolution of Rock music began in the 1950’s with Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll introduced people like Elvis Presley. After Rock and Roll, Folk Rock was introduced including Neil Young. Then there was Blue’s Rock, which included BB King. Next came Pop Rock, which included The Beatles. Later came Heavy Metal, including Aerosmith. Now comes your Punk Rock with The Ramones, Velvet Underground, and others. That’s …show more content…

The way society dresses today is inspired by punk rock music. Usually tight jeans, tight shirts, dark clothing, are worn by teenagers who listen to that music because they want to fit in to the “scene” or, trend (Bailey 14). One trend, in the 1960s and ‘70s, is of long, extended songs that focus more on theatric instruments than a lyrical motive. Led Zeppelin is a prominent example of that trend (Hanner Unpopular Culture: The Relationship between Punk Rock and Mainstream Society). Next, there is behavior. Punk was created by young people viewing of themselves as “bored working-class youths looking for entertainment, rather than viewing themselves as artists” (Bailey 17). There were changes in behaviors of society such as rebellion, race, drug use, and was seen as an expression of insubordination towards adults (Bailey 17). Third, there is parenting. Teens are looking for music that separates them from their parents’ generation. Nowadays, some parents are fine with their children listening to that type of music. On the other hand, others are outraged with their child’s music preference (Bailey