Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock.[8] Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C., and New York punk rock and early proto-punk.[1] Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock"[13] and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics".[14]
Hardcore punk
Hardcore
Late 1970s to early 1980s, Southern California,[2][3][4][5][6][7] Vancouver, Knoxville,[8] San Francisco,[7][1] Washington, D.C. area[7]
Hardcore sprouted underground scenes across the United States in the early 1980s, particularly in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York, as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom. Hardcore has spawned the straight edge movement and its associated sub-movements, hardline and youth crew. Hardcore was heavily involved in the rise of the independent record labels in the 1980s and with the DIY ethics in underground music scenes. It has also influenced various music genres that have experienced widespread commercial success, including grunge and thrash metal.
Although the music genre started in English-speaking Western countries, notable hardcore scenes have existed in Italy and Japan.
Etymology[edit]
Steven Blush states that the Vancouver-based band D.O.A.'s 1981 album, Hardcore '81, "was where the genre got its name".[15] This album also helped to make people aware of the term "hardcore".[97][98] Konstantin Butz states that while the origin of the expression "hardcore" "cannot be ascribed to a specific place or time", the term is "usually associated with the further evolution of California's L.A. Punk Rock scene", which included young skateboarders.[52] A September 1981 article by Tim Sommer shows the author applying the term to the "15 or so" punk bands gigging around the city at that time, which he considered a belated development relative to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.[99] Blush said that the term "hardcore" is also a reference to the sense of being "fed up" with the existing punk and new wave music.[100] Blush also states that the term refers to "an extreme: the absolute most Punk".[101] Kelefa Sanneh states that the term "hardcore" referred to an attitude of "turning inwards" towards the scene and "ignoring broader society", all with the goal of achieving a sense of "shared purpose" and being part of a community.[22] Sanneh cites Agnostic Front's band member selection approach as an example of hardcore's emphasis on "scene citizenship"; prospective members of the band were chosen based on being part of the local hardcore scene and being regularly in the moshing pit at shows, rather than based on a musical audition.[22]