The Best Punk Rock Bands & Artists

During the mid-1970s, punk rock emerged from metropolitan capitals New York City and London as a response to the bloated nature of progressive and hard rock that ruled the day. The top punk rock bands sounded like they were shot out of a cannon, with their simple three-chord songs that hit listeners like a sledgehammer. However, aggressive, fast, and powerful punk rock artists have become the best bands of all time with their trailblazing music and transcendent energy. 

So, who are the best punk rock bands? On this list of punk rockers, you'll see both popular punk rock groups and some other cool artists whom you may not have heard of. That being said, you'll recognize a lot of these famous names if you like punk rock, such as The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks. The beauty of punk rock is that it reinvigorated the ethos of rock music, and the best rock bands channeled the great spirit of how music was meant to be heard, even if some critics didn't understand its sound. Punk rock musicians went against the grain of the times and ultimately created an enigmatic sound that's still around today.

So, it's up to you to decide who the top punk rock stars are. This list answers the questions "who are the best punk rock bands of all time?" and "who is the greatest punk rock musician ever?" If you know enough about the genre, please vote based on the quality of the band's music instead of just voting for the most popular punk rock musicians and singers that you might've heard of.