ABSTRACT
The Sex Pistols' crudely poetic sentiment, along with the idealistic belief that "a social fact could be addressed by a broken chord" sparked the early punk movement. This chapter is an investigation into the Anglophone punk culture, specifically in the UK and the US, where punk main focus being on the song lyrics written and performed by punk rock and hardcore artists. It is crucial to understand that punk is not simply a genre of music, although music does play an integral role within it. A cultivation of social dissent and cultural transgression, punk is a part of, as well as a counter project to, popular culture. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The chapter focuses on definitions and methodology, addressing, among other things, questions of context, intermediality, discourse formation, and performance ideology. It concerns the history of punk on the British Isles, while it deals with the North American scene.
