Consequence magazine has relaunched one of the initiatives promoted for its “punk week”: the ranking of the 30 best punk bands of all time. The magazine introduces the ranking with a brief survey of the history of the movement. “The general consensus is that punk music had transatlantic origins in the mid-1970s, originating simultaneously in a run-down club in New York City, beneath a cheap hotel at 315 Bowery, and in an underground fashion boutique in London, at 430 of King's Road. In the United States there was the bizarre and intelligent irreverence of the Ramones, while in the United Kingdom the grit and provocative aggression of the Sex Pistols dominated — and that was the punk rock – writes Consequence – At least, this has been identified as the dawn of what we now know as punk. Looking back a few years, we can locate its genesis in the avant-garde sounds of the Stooges in the late 60s. Skipping ahead to the end. of the 70s, we find the innovative pop of the Buzzcocks. In the 80s, we come across the hardcore style of Minor Threat and the ska rebirth of Operation Ivy. Arriving in the following decade, Green Day brings back punk to the mainstream, while Bikini Kill gave birth to the riot grrrl movement”.
Also due to these facets and contradictions, “defining exactly what punk is has never been simple, probably because the very idea of punk is to destroy every predefined conception”, underlines the magazine, concluding that “for this reason, it is almost impossible determine who are the best punk bands of all time” and inviting “don't be surprised if your favorite band isn't on this list”, because “it was probably excluded because it didn't fit the arbitrary and self-imposed criteria we adopted to decide who consider”.
However, here is the top 30 of the best punk bands of all time according to Consequence (here is the complete report), followed at the bottom of the page by the relevant playlist. On OndaRock we have published a ranking of the best punk-hardcore records ever.
30. Dropkick Murphys
29. Bad Religion
28. Against Me!
27. Germs
26. X-Ray Spex
25. The Blue Hearts
24. Circle Jerks
23. Minutemen
22. The Dead Milkmen
21. Operation Ivy
20. Jawbreaker
19. Dead Kennedys
18. Social Distortion
17. Patti Smith Group
16. Rancid
15. The Replacements
14. Black Flag
13.X
11. Descendants
10. Bikini Kill
09. Misfits
08. Buzzcocks
07. Minor Threat
06. The Stooges
05. Green Day
04. Bad Brains
03. Sex Pistols
02. Ramones
01. The Clash
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
