Post-punk is a music style and time period that began in late 1977, after the punk rock movement. The term was first used by Jon Savage in an article for Sounds magazine in November 1977. There is no single, clear definition of post-punk. Post-punk musicians moved away from punk’s simple style and instead used more creative methods. They were inspired by punk’s energy and the idea of making music themselves but wanted to avoid common rock music styles. These artists took influence from German krautrock and experimented with styles like funk, electronic music, jazz, and dance music. They also used techniques from dub and disco music and drew ideas from modernist art, films, books, and politics. Post-punk musicians created independent record labels, made visual art, performed multimedia shows, and produced fanzines. In 1978, only two early post-punk bands, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Public Image Ltd., had successful songs that reached the top ten of the UK charts.
Post-punk scenes grew in Europe alongside new wave music. Important scenes included the Netherlands’ Ultra movement, Germany’s Neue Deutsche Welle, Spain’s La Movida Madrileña, and coldwave scenes in France, Poland, and Belgium. Similar movements also appeared in the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The post-punk era happened at the same time as no wave and industrial music. Later, it influenced British new pop and the Second British Invasion in the United States. Post-punk also helped create other music styles, such as gothic rock, neo-psychedelia, dark wave, dance-punk, jangle pop, ethereal wave, dream pop, and shoegaze. By the mid-to-late 1980s, the term "post-punk" was used less often in music writing, and fewer new post-punk bands emerged.
In the 2000s, some New York bands added post-punk ideas to modern indie rock, leading to styles like dance-punk and a post-punk revival. By the 2010s, post-punk musicians in Europe, the Nordic countries, Canada, and the United States inspired the South London "gristle rock" scene, which led to the Windmill scene and crank wave, or "post-Brexit new wave." These groups often used a style called "talk-singing." Some post-punk bands briefly connected with the internet music style "doomer wave," which was sometimes linked to Russian post-punk and darkwave artists in the early 2020s. Around the same time, post-punk scenes also developed in Russia and Latin America.
Etymology
Post-punk is a time period and a type of music that began in the late 1970s, influenced by the punk rock movement. In 1976, the New York poetry magazine Contact used the term "post-punk" for the first time in an interview with artist Jack Micheline. The interviewer asked Micheline, "What are your thoughts about moving into a post-punk beat period?"
In November 1977, the British music magazine Sounds published an issue titled "New Musick." Editors Jane Suck and Jon Savage wrote about a new kind of music that was developing. Savage described this music as a change from punk rock, which he said was becoming less creative and moving toward more experimental styles, calling them "post-punk projections." He mentioned bands like Pere Ubu, Throbbing Gristle, and Devo, who created music that caused strong physical reactions in listeners. He also noted that this style had more reggae and dub influences, sounded "factory-made," and included groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Slits, and Wire, who explored harsh, urban sounds and unusual drumming.
Music historian Clinton Heylin said it took time for "New Musick" to become known as "post-punk," but journalists were already trying to understand punk’s future. Mimi Haddon explained that writers like Simon Reynolds and Theo Cateforis believe Savage’s article started the post-punk genre. David Wilkinson said there was excitement about the new term "post-punk." Ian Gittins noted some journalists used "art punk" to describe artists who combined the energy of garage rock with more thoughtful ideas, though the term was sometimes used negatively.
Heylin wrote that in March 1979, Simon Frith suggested the term "Afterpunk" in Melody Maker, saying "1979 is the year of Afterpunk." Heylin called the term a "non-starter" but agreed that punk was changing. At the time, "post-punk" was used with "new musick" and "new wave," but these terms later became distinct.
Post-punk is not only a music style but also a time period of alternative music. Simon Reynolds said the post-punk era lasted roughly from 1978 to 1984. He believed this time created a lot of important music and was as creative and politically meaningful as the 1960s. Mimi Haddon pointed out that post-punk does not have a single definition and that Reynolds’ view does not match modern opinions, as some artists like the Chameleons and Echo & the Bunnymen are not included in his description.
Post-punk also developed as a response to punk rock’s popularity in 1977. Reynolds noted that many post-punk bands existed before punk became mainstream. In 2009, critic Alex Ogg said the term "post-punk" might eventually be replaced by other terms. Haddon argued that "post-punk" was not always meant to mean "after punk" but could relate to postmodern ideas, like postmodern feminism. She suggested the word "post" could mean a viewpoint for analyzing punk or a way to highlight its limitations and explore new directions.
Ian Trowell agreed, saying "post" could mean a time after something (like "post-war") or a change in style and thinking (like "postmodern").
Characteristics
Post-punk is a type of rock music that is often linked to a specific time in the history of alternative music. The term also describes a subgenre of rock. According to Scott Rowley of Louder, post-punk is sometimes called the "ugly twin sister" of new wave music. He explained that the term refers to artists who were inspired by punk in some way, such as its ability to address important issues, challenge traditions, or express strong energy. This genre is known for its unique use of rhythm, instruments, and mood. While it shares the raw, energetic qualities of punk rock, post-punk differs by incorporating experimental sounds and unusual musical structures. It also draws influences from various global music traditions, often exploring ideas beyond the simple style of punk.
Simon Reynolds described post-punk as "less a genre of music than a space of possibility," meaning it focuses on creativity and new ideas rather than strict rules. He noted that post-punk music is not always filled with broken guitar sounds or intense vocals, but can also be strange, imaginative, and dreamlike. Even though post-punk aims to break away from traditional styles, certain musical features are common across the genre, such as strong basslines, sharp guitar sounds, steady drumming, and the use of spoken words in songs.
Writer Nicholas Lezard called post-punk "a fusion of art and music" and said it is so diverse that only general descriptions can be made. He wrote that the music of this time was experimental, open to many musical ideas, and often focused on intellectual themes. It was created by young people who wanted to challenge listeners or make them think, rather than just write typical pop songs. Artists saw punk as a call for constant change rather than a fixed style, believing that new ideas require new ways of expressing them. Though post-punk music varied widely across regions and artists, it is known for its "conceptual assault" on traditional rock music rules.
Influences
In the 1970s and early 1980s, British post-punk bands were influenced by difficult urban conditions, old and unused buildings, and feelings of sadness and frustration caused by factory closures and limited government spending. These problems became worse during the time of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership. In the United States, bands in the New York and Ohio punk scenes were inspired by the polluted and industrial environments of their cities to create music that was rough, messy, and full of strange sounds.
Artists tried to mix different types of culture, like high art and everyday culture, and returned to traditions seen in the work of artists such as Roxy Music and David Bowie. Author Gavin Butt said that art education was an important part of the cultural environment for post-punk bands in Leeds, such as Delta 5, Gang of Four, Scritti Politti, and the Mekons. Jon Savage noted that bands were influenced by groups like the Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, glam rock, krautrock, and art rock. Other styles, such as art pop, garage rock, psychedelia, and 1960s music, also played a role. Captain Beefheart’s simple and raw style influenced how post-punk bands broke down traditional rock music. Post-punk also took darker and heavier sounds from early heavy metal, especially Black Sabbath. Writer Edmond Maura pointed out that Black Sabbath and post-punk bands shared a connection to the bleak and industrial environments around them. Although sometimes seen as separate from the broader punk scene, post-punk also borrowed from progressive rock. Avant-garde jazz and free jazz were also important influences, as seen in albums like Miles Davis’s On the Corner.
Germany’s krautrock scene in the early 1970s started by rejecting traditional rock rules, and many post-punk bands were inspired by groups like Can, Neu!, and Faust. Producer Conny Plank and the electronic band Kraftwerk influenced post-punk’s sound, especially with their album Trans-Europe Express, which had a big impact on the cold wave music style. Post-punk moved away from punk rock’s use of simple guitar riffs and rock traditions, instead experimenting with new sounds like dub, reggae, funk, electronic music, disco, noise, world music, and avant-garde styles.
Three important figures—Brian Eno, David Bowie, and Iggy Pop—helped develop post-punk in the UK, each drawing from krautrock. Brian Eno, a former member of Roxy Music, influenced others with his early albums. Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, created with David Bowie in Berlin, was also important. Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy introduced new sounds like ambient music and synthesizers, which later shaped post-punk’s dark and futuristic style.
Before punk, groups like Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle used tape machines and electronic instruments with performance art and ideas from unusual books, helping to create industrial music. Throbbing Gristle’s label, Industrial Records, became a center for this scene.
In the early-to-mid-1970s, American bands started adding more artistic and intellectual influences to punk music. Bands in New York’s CBGB scene, such as Television, Suicide, Talking Heads, and the Patti Smith Group, pushed punk into more experimental and varied forms. Bands in San Francisco, like the Residents, were also early influences, later gaining success through the new wave scene. Chrome was an early post-punk group that combined punk energy with psychedelic sounds.
Although post-punk is often seen as a reaction to the punk rock movement of 1977, music critic Simon Reynolds noted that some post-punk artists focused on themes like loneliness, control, and the effects of modern society. Writers like William S. Burroughs and J. G. Ballard were major influences, with cultural theorist Mark Fisher saying they were more important than any musical reference. Other influences included modernist buildings, political movements like situationism and Dada, and intellectual ideas like structuralism and postmodernism. Many artists saw their work as politically meaningful. Films like Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) and David Lynch’s Eraserhead (1977) also influenced post-punk. In some places, post-punk music was linked to strong subcultures that created art, performances, fanzines, and independent record labels. Many post-punk artists avoided working with large companies and instead used alternative ways to make and share their music.
Background
On June 4 and July 20, 1976, the Sex Pistols performed at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall. People in the audience included future members of Joy Division, New Order, the Smiths, the Fall, Magazine, and Buzzcocks. These individuals later said the concert greatly influenced their music careers. Other important people at the event included Martin Hannett, Paul Morley, John Ingham, Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke, and Alan McGee. Wilson and McGee said the performance inspired them to start their own influential independent record labels, Factory and Creation Records, which helped shape Manchester's post-punk, alternative, and indie music scenes.
On September 20, 1976, Siouxsie and the Banshees performed for the first time at the 100 Club Punk Special. They were joined by Sid Vicious on drums and Marco Pirroni on guitar before they joined Adam and the Ants. Their performance included a 20-minute improvisation based on the "Lord's Prayer." Later, music journalist John Robb called this performance an early form of post-punk, comparing the rhythm section to the band PiL's Metal Box, which was released three years later.
Writer Alex Ogg noted that Dave Haslam, a writer and Haçienda DJ, said "The Prefects and March 1977" marked when post-punk began in Birmingham. Ogg argued this did not match the timeline or themes of the movement. However, he said Haslam was best at showing how Birmingham's punk generation connected to new romanticism, which is now also seen as part of post-punk. Writer Theo Cateforis said "New Romantics" was the one post-punk genre that led to a major commercial success.
As punk rock became popular in 1977, post-punk artists were first inspired by punk's do-it-yourself (DIY) style and energy. However, Reynolds said by the summer of 1977, punk had become a joke of itself. The bands grew tired of the style and movement, feeling it had become too commercial, too traditional, and too self-ridiculous. They rejected punk's focus on being easy to understand and simple, instead choosing to break from musical traditions, challenge common ideas, and push audiences to think differently. They also rejected styles seen as old-fashioned or overly focused on rock culture.
Reynolds mentioned songs like Television Personalities' "Part Time Punks" and Subway Sect's "A Different Story" as examples of music that reflected on the punk movement itself. He said by the late 1970s, the British punk scene had split into different styles based on disagreements about ideas and social class.
Writer Matthew Worley said British punk had split into different "versions of punk's story and new ideas about where to go next" by the late 1970s. He added that music magazines tried to create new categories for these styles, such as "new musick," "power pop," "mod renewal," "futurist," and "new punk." Writer Karen Fournier explained that early British punk scenes were influenced by entrepreneurs who started independent record labels, including Rough Trade (founded by Geoff Travis), Factory (founded by Tony Wilson), and Fast Product (founded by Bob Last and Hilary Morrison). By 1977, bands began releasing music on their own, an idea promoted by Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch EP and the self-released singles of Desperate Bicycles. This DIY approach helped create the production and distribution systems for post-punk and the indie music scene that grew in the 1980s. Notable independent record labels during the post-punk era included Rough Trade, 4AD, Beggars Banquet, Mute, Industrial, Factory, Fast Records, Glass, and Creation Records.
During this time, musicians and pop culture borrowed ideas from literature, art, movies, philosophy, politics, and critical theory. Mark Fisher later described this moment as "popular modernism," explaining that post-punk showed how avant-garde (experimental) art and mass culture were deeply connected, not separate.
1977–1979: Early years
By late 1977, the original punk movement was ending. At the same time, British bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Subway Sect, the Prefects, the Slits, Alternative TV, and Wire were trying out new sounds, lyrics, and styles that were different from other punk bands. On November 26, 1977, Jon Savage called some of these bands "new musick." On November 29, Siouxsie and the Banshees performed their first John Peel Session for BBC Radio 1. Later, David Stubbs of Uncut said the performance showed the band was the first to move from punk to post-punk. Mojo editor Pat Gilbert also said Siouxsie and the Banshees were the first true post-punk band, noting their use of repetition influenced Joy Division.
In January 1978, John Lydon (then called Johnny Rotten) announced the end of his punk band the Sex Pistols. He was unhappy with punk’s predictable music and its growing popularity in the music industry. He wanted to explore new musical ideas. In May, Lydon formed Public Image Ltd with guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble, who said reggae was a natural influence. Lydon also took inspiration from artists like Captain Beefheart, Iggy Pop, the Stooges, and Kraftwerk. However, Lydon described his new sound as "total pop with deep meanings," but he still wanted to be called punk. In 1978, bands like Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd, Cabaret Voltaire, and Gang of Four released music that helped define British post-punk. According to Ken Garner, the music industry was not interested in Siouxsie and the Banshees until Polydor Records signed them. Their first single reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1978. Public Image Ltd’s first single, "Public Image," reached number 9 in October.
Music historian Clinton Heylin said the true start of English post-punk was between August 1977 and May 1978, including when guitarist John McKay joined Siouxsie and the Banshees in July 1977, Magazine’s first album, Wire’s new musical direction in 1978, and the formation of Public Image Ltd. Simon Goddard wrote that the debut albums of these bands laid the foundation for post-punk. Producers like Steve Lillywhite, Martin Hannett, and Dennis Bovell used unusual studio techniques that became important in the music. Labels like Rough Trade and Factory helped these bands by supporting their releases, artwork, performances, and promotion.
Around this time, bands like Public Image Ltd, the Pop Group, and the Slits started experimenting with dance music, dub production, and avant-garde styles. Meanwhile, punk-inspired Manchester bands like Joy Division, the Fall, the Durutti Column, and A Certain Ratio created unique styles influenced by many different musical and art styles. Bands such as Scritti Politti, Gang of Four, Essential Logic, and This Heat included leftist political ideas and their own art school experiences in their work. Simon Reynolds said post-punk brought back qualities like elitism and intellectualism, similar to art rock and progressive rock. He noted that not all post-punk musicians attended college, and some, like John Lydon or Mark E. Smith, were self-taught but still fit the "anti-intellectual intellectual" label.
By 1979, new genres like avant-funk, neo-psychedelia, and gothic rock developed from the British post-punk scene. Gothic rock was first explored by bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, and the Cure, who focused on darker themes. In 1980, the Australian band the Birthday Party moved to the UK to join the growing scene.
As post-punk grew, British music magazines like NME and Sounds played a key role in shaping the culture. Writers like Jon Savage, Paul Morley, and Ian Penman created detailed and creative criticism that used philosophy, politics, and other sources. Simon Reynolds called these writers "activist critics" who helped shape the culture by introducing new trends and labels. Their work gave the period a sense of moving forward. Mimi Haddon said writers like Jon Savage, Paul Morley, Kris Needs, Paul Rambali, Vivien Goldman, and Chris Brazier were important for understanding post-punk. In 1978, the UK magazine Sounds praised albums like Siouxsie and the Banshees’ The Scream, Wire’s Chairs Missing, and American band Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing. Their 1977 articles on "new musick" helped highlight early post-punk bands. In 1979, NME promoted records like PiL’s Metal Box, Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures, Gang of Four’s Entertainment!, Wire’s 154, and the Raincoats’ self-titled debut.
Midwestern bands like Pere Ubu and Devo were inspired by their industrial surroundings and used art techniques, experimental sounds, and unusual speech styles that predicted post-punk. Some writers called Pere Ubu’s early work "post-punk before punk." Jon Savage described both bands as "post-punk" in November 1977. Pere Ubu’s first UK tour in 1978, including a show at Manchester’s Rafters in April, influenced the English post-punk scene, with members of Joy Division in attendance.
Groups like Boston’s Mission of Burma and New York’s Talking Heads combined punk with art school ideas. Talking Heads also used Afrobeat and funk in their album Remain in Light. In 1978, Talking Heads worked with Brian Eno, experimenting with unusual lyrics, electronic sounds, and African rhythms. San Francisco’s post-punk scene included bands like Chrome, the Residents, Tuxedomoon, and MX-80. Other American post-punk groups were Suburban Lawns from Long Beach, California.
During this time, downtown New York’s no wave scene also began. It was a reaction against punk’s use of traditional rock styles and often had harsh, negative themes. No wave bands like James Chance and the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, DNA, Theoretical Girls, and Rhys Chatham used noise, dissonance, and non-rock styles. These groups were included in the Eno-produced No New York compilation
1980–1984: Further developments
In the 1980s, British post-punk music gained support from critics and media figures. American critic Greil Marcus wrote in a 1980 Rolling Stone article that the post-punk scene in Britain had "a tension, humor, and sense of paradox plainly unique in present-day pop music." BBC DJ John Peel also supported the movement. Bands like PiL and Joy Division achieved some success in the popular music charts. Record labels such as Y Records, Industrial, Fast, E.G., Mute, Axis/4AD, and Glass helped produce a large amount of post-punk music. By 1980–1981, many British artists, including Maximum Joy, Magazine, Essential Logic, Killing Joke, the Sound, 23 Skidoo, Alternative TV, the Teardrop Explodes, the Psychedelic Furs, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Membranes, joined the post-punk scene, which was centered in cities like London and Manchester.
During this time, some artists began moving away from underground styles. Music magazines started using more complex and difficult-to-understand language, which caused some readers to stop buying them. For example, NME lost about half its readers within a few years. Writer Paul Morley encouraged artists to focus on more accessible, mainstream styles instead of experimental approaches. Morley worked with others to create the group Art of Noise, which used electronic sounds in pop music. Other post-punk artists, like Green Gartside of Scritti Politti and Paul Haig of Josef K, also shifted toward mainstream styles and commercial success. These changes led to the term "new pop," which described post-punk artists trying to bring unconventional ideas into mainstream pop music.
New groups like ABC, the Associates, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow (managed by Malcolm McLaren, a former manager of the Sex Pistols) emerged alongside the New Romantic scene. This scene focused on glamour, fashion, and escapism, which contrasted with the serious, experimental style of earlier post-punk groups. While some post-punk fans were skeptical of this shift, the New Romantic scene achieved commercial success. Artists such as Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, the Human League, Soft Cell, John Foxx, and Visage helped create a new style of synthpop that used electronic and synthesizer music. This style gained popularity with the rise of MTV.
In the early 1980s, the no wave scene in Downtown Manhattan changed from its rough, aggressive beginnings to a more dance-focused sound. A 1981 compilation called Mutant Disco by ZE Records showed this shift, blending hip hop, disco, punk, dub reggae, and world music influences. Artists like ESG, Liquid Liquid, the B-52s, Cristina, Arthur Russell, James White and the Blacks, and Lizzy Mercier Descloux created music described as "anything at all + disco bottom." Other artists, such as Swans, Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca, Lydia Lunch, the Lounge Lizards, Bush Tetras, and Sonic Youth, continued exploring the no wave scene’s earlier, more abrasive style.
Mid-1980s – 1990s: Decline
The post-punk era ended when many bands moved away from its style, often choosing more popular sounds instead. These groups continued making music as part of the new pop movement, sometimes joining other groups. In the United States, influenced by MTV and modern rock radio, some post-punk bands affected or became part of the Second British Invasion of "New Music." Some bands changed to a more commercial new wave sound, like Gang of Four, while others stayed on American college radio and became early examples of alternative rock, such as R.E.M. One band that came from post-punk was U2, which included religious images and political messages in its powerful and inspiring music.
Online database AllMusic noted that bands from the mid-1980s, such as Big Flame, World Domination Enterprises, and Minimal Compact, were connected to post-punk. In the 1990s, bands like Six Finger Satellite, Brainiac, and Elastica reminded people of the original post-punk era.
2000s–present: Revivals
By the early 2000s, bands like the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Rapture, and Interpol helped start a music movement called the post-punk revival. The Strokes' first album, Is This It, helped spread this movement, leading to the rise of other artists such as LCD Soundsystem, Liars, the Rogers Sisters, the Fiery Furnaces, Radio 4, and !!!. These groups were often described as part of the post-punk or new wave revival. The Strokes' success also inspired a new wave of guitar-based indie music in Britain, led by bands like Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads, and Maxïmo Park. Among these, the Libertines stood out and later influenced the landfill indie movement in the UK, which included bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, and the Cribs.
This musical revival happened at the same time as a growing interest in old technology and styles from the past. Many bands wore clothing styles similar to those of 1960s and 1970s rock acts, such as the Velvet Underground and Television, as well as glam rock and early New York punk musicians. Artists often wore skinny ties, white belts, and shag haircuts, which later became known as "indie sleaze." The revival focused on "rock authenticity," which was a reaction to the commercialism of MTV-style nu metal, hip hop, and post-Britpop groups that were seen as unoriginal. By the end of the decade, many bands linked to the revival had ended their activities, taken breaks, or moved on to different musical styles, with few achieving major chart success.
During the 2010s, a new wave of experimental post-punk music emerged, influenced by no wave, art punk, and post-rock. These bands often featured vocalists who spoke rather than sang, using voices that sounded either disinterested or tense, a style originally used by Mark E. Smith of the Fall, a key influence on the scene. This revival contrasted with the 2000s indie scene and was led by groups such as Preoccupations, Protomartyr, Parquet Courts, Shopping, Eagulls, Sleaford Mods, Savages, Iceage, Ought, and Women in the early 2010s.
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, post-punk bands like Yard Act and Dry Cleaning gained popularity in the UK and Ireland, along with the "Windmill scene," named after a pub in Brixton. This scene was started by the band Fat White Family. The movement has been called "the most significant movement in rock music in the past decade" by Ramapo News in 2025. Other terms used to describe it include "crank wave," "post-Brexit new wave," and "Speedy scene." Notable bands associated with this movement include Black Midi, Black Country, New Road, Squid, Shame, Maruja, the Last Dinner Party, Heartworms, Goat Girl, PVA, and sometimes Fontaines D.C.
Some critics have criticized certain bands in this movement for lacking originality and for being too similar to one another, leading to the term "landfill post-punk" for those seen as less interesting. The term was first used by Sam Dynes in The Mancunion, who noted that many of these bands showed a strong, almost exaggerated, admiration for Mark E. Smith. In 2021, The New York Times described the New York band Geese as a group of "buzzy post-punk teens."
Regional scenes
During the 1970s and 1980s, in the Soviet Union, an underground music scene inspired by post-punk music from the West developed in republics such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and others. In Russia, important post-punk bands were based in Leningrad, including Kino, Akvarium, Auktyon, Nautilus Pompilius, and Piknik.
By the 2010s, artists like the Belarusian band Molchat Doma were influenced by post-punk music from the Soviet era. However, some sources, such as The Guardian, described their style as dark wave. In the 2020s, countries like Lithuania began creating their own post-punk music scenes.
In Poland, bands such as Siekiera, Kryzys, Republika, Kult, and Tilt developed a version of post-punk that was sometimes called "coldwave."
In post-Francoist Spain during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the influence of punk rock led to La Movida Madrileña, a countercultural movement centered in Madrid that started after the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. This movement used music styles from post-punk, synth-pop, and new wave. In Spain during the 1980s, the term "afterpunk" was used to describe post-punk music. In the 2010s and 2020s, Spanish post-punk music was represented by bands like Depresión Sonora.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese post-punk groups such as OXZ emerged from the underground Kansai no wave scene. This scene included early Japanese punk and noise music artists based in cities like Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, and other parts of the Kansai region. Artists in this scene included Aunt Sally, INU, Hide, Jojo Hiroshige, and SS. During the 2000s, the Tokyo underground music scene helped expand the post-punk movement, which was now centered around the independent record label Call And Response.
In Latin America, post-punk music spread to several regions, including Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia.
Related genres
New musick is a type of music that mainly takes inspiration from electronic music, especially the use of synthesizers. The term was first used after a meeting organized by Sounds editor Alan Lewis with music journalists Jane Suck, Sandy Robertson, and Jon Savage in October 1977. Writer Mimi Haddon says the term was initially used by Savage to describe a more thoughtful development of punk rock, aiming to "add meaning to the new wave." Savage explains the label can be considered a part of post-punk. Simon Reynolds viewed new musick as the "industrial / dystopian science-fiction side of post-punk."
Cold wave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s in Europe, especially France and Belgium. It is known for simple musical arrangements, icy synthesizers, sad-sounding vocals, and emotionally distant tones. Bands such as Trisomie 21, Asylum Party, and Martin Dupont are often linked to this genre, which shares similarities with dark wave and later minimal wave.
Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a subgenre of rock music that started in Britain during the late 1970s from post-punk. It is characterized by minor chords, reverb, dark musical styles, and sad-sounding melodies. This genre became the base for the larger goth subculture and influenced related genres like dark wave and ethereal wave.
Dance-punk (originally called disco-punk) is a subgenre of post-punk that mixes elements of punk rock and dance music. It began in the late 1970s and is known for sharp guitar sounds, strong basslines, and rhythmic beats influenced by funk music. Groups like Gang of Four, Liquid Liquid, and ESG helped create this sound, which later returned in the early 2000s through bands such as LCD Soundsystem, !!!, and the Rapture.
Dark wave is a music genre that started from new wave and post-punk in the late 1970s. It combines the mood of gothic music with sounds made by synthesizers and serious lyrics. It became closely connected to gothic rock but later changed into different electronic styles in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in Germany.
New pop refers to a movement in early 1980s British popular music that aimed to mix the creative ideas of post-punk with mainstream appeal. It is known for bright musical production, stylish looks, and melodic songs. Artists such as ABC, The Human League, Culture Club, and Duran Duran, many of whom became internationally famous, were part of this movement.
Ethereal wave (also called ethereal darkwave or simply ethereal) is a subgenre of dark wave and gothic rock that began in the early 1980s. It is known for rich, echoing sounds, atmospheric guitars, and often female vocals that express dreamlike or spiritual themes. Notable artists include Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, and This Mortal Coil, many of whom were connected to the 4AD record label.
Crank wave (also called post-Brexit new wave, sprechgesang, wonk, and Windmill indie) is a music scene and style of post-punk that began in the mid-to late 2010s to early 2020s. It is known for calm, unemotional speaking-singing (called sprechgesang in German), sharp guitar sounds, and strong basslines. Artists are often described as anxious, aware of social issues, and thoughtful.