Political Punk Bands

Political Punk bands don’t deviate much from the original philosophy of punk music. In their beginnings, punk ideology and punk lyrics were all about anti-establishment ideas, political stand-outs and anti-government beliefs. Today, some punk bands have been labeled as political punk bands because their lyrics contain a lot of political material. Their songs have been considered a forum for political expression. They mostly use their lyrics to persuade audiences to take political stands and start moving towards real political change.

Crass is a punk band formed in 1977 in the UK. They are considered one of the founders of the political punk movement. They are also labeled as fathers of the anarchic punk ideology. The band advocated feminism, animal rights, anti-racism and environmentalist ideas, while also spreading anarchic views.

Anti-Flag is one of the most political and radical punk bands out there. They stand up against capitalism and war. Anti-Flag was the first punk band to bring to the punk scene issues like fascism, racism and American foreign policy. Another political punk band is Against Me!, which is labeled as one of the most popular modern anarchist bands around. The band helped bring the ideology of anarchy to the masses, while also contributing to the anti-Bush and anti-war movements.

NOFX is considered a satirical political punk band. Over the years, the band has played with sarcasm about social, political, religious and gender issues.

The Dead Kennedys were a major presence on the punk hardcore scene in the 1980’s. They were very critical of capitalism and Ronald Reagan’s administration policy, but also protested against the commercialization of punk music. The band is one of the first bands to be convicted for obscenity in their promotional posters. Rise Against is another liberal band that speaks openly about animal issues and human rights.