The State of Punk Today

Punk rock without a doubt has died down in the past decade. The emergence of pop punk has caused many die hard members of the punk culture to question whether it's still alive or not. Many claim that pop punk goes against the ideals of punk therefore it's not real. The reason they are believed to go against the ideals of punk are that these bands are extremely, commercially successful. For example Green Day, and Blink 182 both multi platinum bands. These bands have had some impact on culture within the past decade. Green Day's album American Idiot, anyone living in America heard of that album and the controversey behind it, because of the 911 terrorist attacks. Blink 182 helped popularize skate attire by always wearing skate shoes and shorts. Although the punk scene seems dominated by these "pop punk" bands, there are still some who are making an impact without going down the pop route. For example Rise Against is a more recent band that is considered by many to be punk. They have very political songs and influence many people on politcal decisions, along with that they also inform many people of things happening in the world.