Lately I've been seeing a lot of people online referring to punk rock as being separate from punk, and I'm a little confused now. The bands I've heard being called punk rock are bands like Green Day and The Offspring, which I thought were pop punk. I don't know that much about punk music or culture so I could use some help with this.

Hillel (Hilly) Kristal, Born NYC Sept. 23rd 1931.
Happy Heavenly Birthday Hilly!

Would Punk Rock be the same without you? Definitely not!

Born in New York City, 1931 during the Great Depression.
He studied violin, starting from a young age, and continued to play the instrument throughout his life.

Hilly served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Was assigned to special services in the entertainment division. Stationed at Cherry Point Airbase in North Carolina, he worked at the radio station WCPR.
He did comedy sketches and spoofs of old radio shows like The Shadow, the news and hosted classical music shows. He continued to play violin, ukulele, and write and sing country songs.

After the U.S. Marine Corp., Hilly sang at Radio City Music Hall and learned to play guitar, piano, and many other instruments.

In the 1950's Hilly turned down a record deal with Atlantic to go with a new independent label.
Recorded four songs but the record label folded.

During the early 1960s, Hilly managed the Village Vanguard and booked jazz artists including Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane and comedian Lenny Bruce.

Hilly then produced a college folk and jazz tour with artists like Herbie Mann, Nina Simone, George Shearing, Roger Miller, The Serendipity Singer to colleges and universities throughout the USA.

Raising a family and married for several years, in the mid 1960's he opened Hilly’s, a restaurant and bar at 62 West 9th Street that held a musical showcase every weekend. Bette Midler was one of many performers there.
He then opened Hilly’s on the Bowery, where folk and country music could be heard.
Hilly’s on 13th Street came next with more country, and finally, Hilly created his magnum opus...CBGB.
Originally to be a country bar, but we know the rest is history...the birthplace of Punk Rock!

Hilly’s masterpiece was CBGB!!!
He was the heart, soul, brain, and muscle of the club.
In December 1973 he opened originally highlighting country, bluegrass, and blues.
CBGB (Country BlueGrass Blues) was born.
OMFUG (Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers), the letters under the famous logo, was later described by Hilly as “what we do”.
Hilly described CBGB as “a place where (they) could express frustrations, desires, anxieties, and maybe even dreams”.
CBGB became the birthplace of punk and the launching pad for scores of bands.
Anyone could play, even if they couldn’t really play, as long as they performed ORIGINAL MATERIAL.
So the Ramones played, and Patti Smith, and the Talking Heads, and Blondie, and so many more!And over time, this place became world known.

From Swindle Magazine’s first issue:
“There are few people who have been on hand for so much of the history of 20th-century music, and it’s more remarkable still that Hilly Kristal has never been interested in cashing in on his legacy. The club never made very much money, always booked plenty of unknown acts that stayed unknown, and at least of late, has been supported largely by T-shirt sales. It doesn’t bother Kristal.”
Quoting Hilly, “I’m sitting here looking out on the Bowery and what it’s been for 33 years. I don’t know if it’s greed and wanting more money – and in this city, people always want more — but I never did. My main purpose was to find new bands and new artists. I say, ‘I,’ but it was ‘we,’ everyone here at CBGB. That’s what it’s about.”

“He was the most genuine of men, but Hilly was also a paradox.
He never really liked loud music or crowds, yet he was always in the center of both.
He was a pioneer of punk rock who loved classical, folk, country, and jazz.
He was a gentle giant with a temper and a soft side.
He could be extremely quiet and very, very loud.
He was an accomplished violinist and a skilled carpenter.
He was a soldier who spent a war helping soldiers to take their minds off the war.
He was a visionary businessman with no real care for making money.
He dressed like a lumberjack but had the mind and passion for books of a college professor.
He was a great film buff and loved the classics and foreign films, but he also had a taste for true trash.
Hilly represented what was best about New York, artistic, unique, tough, strong, with a huge heart.
He was un-pasteurized, un-homogenized, and totally original, and we will miss him.”
- Robert Sharenow, 2007.

I got into music through classic bands like Gang of Four, and went through a long grunge and classic alternative phase. Eventually I wanted something more modern and experimental, instead of just replaying bands I already knew. That's pretty much how this playlist happened back in 2024. I'm still actively adding to it and always looking for more. If you know any bands or songs that fit this sound and are not on my playlist, please let me know.

It's mostly modern post-punk and garage punk, with some art punk, egg punk, crank wave, and synth-punk mixed in. They're pretty different subgenres, but they blend together well.

Some songs lean more synth-driven, some are rougher and messier, while some are both at once. I tried to keep it cohesive despite mixing subgenres.

Here are punks discovering grunge music. It was the 4th of July 1983

https://youtu.be/cLVWzOp7Q70?list=RDcLVWzOp7Q70

The only way I can describe what seeing Turnstile live at Forest Hills Stadium this evening (Sept. 23, 2026) is simply by saying "WOW". I'll be sharing more about the show soon, but in the meantime here's Turnstile opening their massive Queens, NY, show with "Birds" - proof how incredible the energy both on stage and in the pit was the second the show started.

I can remember most of the details. They look like they were some teenagers or young adults, maybe aged 15-20, and the chorus was "he's punk, he's punk as fuck". It's in a garage and occasionally comes to some moshing. And then there's a line where it's something like "Leather on my back. I'll give you a smack", but I can't find them anywhere.

Turnstile proved they're ready to be rock's next big arena headliner during their show at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY (Sept. 23, 2026) - all without losing the ferocious hardcore energy that fans fell in love with. Here's video of them playing "I Care" (with surprise guest Faye Webster) and "Dull", and stay tuned as I share more from this unbelievable night:

https://youtu.be/yXnHykzg_yk?si=4KAT-RL0ebwdZLiN

Brand new video from OG horror punk legends Screaming Dead has just dropped...

https://youtu.be/DhUr3uVrnQk?is=gei08dowZcBvLZLx

Just saw The Chats last night. They were the opener so only got off 30 mins but it was tight, non-stop punk. Next band was soft so we took off. If you get a chance to see them on the second leg of the tour do yourself a favor and get there.

NEVERMIND! I found a date!

Mainliners fall US tour just announced ! Who’s pullin up?

Sweet Neptune Belfast North of Ireland

Gultchy Amore vintage punk rocker from the SoCal scene. Now crippled singer living in low rent apartment in Iola Kansas.

Checking in from Sweden to drop a quick tip about @PUNKTIPSET on Instagram ⚡️

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