Typical punk rock instrumentation includes one or two electric guitars, a bass guitar, drums, and vocals. Punk songs tend to be shorter than those of other popular genres. Most early punk rock songs had the traditional rock 'n ' roll verse-chorus form and 4/4 time signature.

Punk rock vocals occasionally sound nasal, and lyrics are often shouted instead of sung in a traditional way, particularly in hardcore styles. Shifts in pitch and volume are relatively infrequent.

Guitar parts tend to include highly distorted power chords or bar chords. Complicated guitar solos were considered unnecessary, although basic guitar breaks are common.

Bass guitar lines are usually not that complicated; the classic approach is a ruthless, repetitive