ABSTRACT
Hardcore first emerged during the uncertainty of the Reagan administration as an underground movement resisting mainstream normalcy. Hardcore bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat used independent record labels, and included political statements in their lyrics. A splinter straight-edge subgroup developed that took a stance against drug use, smoking, drinking, and promiscuous sexual activity. Since the 1980s, the music of this subculture has evolved from aggressive punk to incorporate elements of metal, rap, and techno. It adopted its own fashion and “hardcore dancing,” which has become a quintessential part of any “show”—the term used by participants in reference to hardcore concerts. The dancing is a somewhat violent form of physical contact between audience members triggered by musical cues of the “breakdown”: it is an active role for the music as well as for the audience. Christian themes emerged in some hardcore music, prompting bands to distinguish themselves as either hardcore or “Christian hardcore.”
