The 25 Most Influential Punk Bands

As put together by pixie, one of the experts at the fictional Punk Rock Academy, located inside my house, and staffed by me, my boyfriend, and my dog, who only likes Iron Maiden.

25. Crimpshrine

You probably haven't heard of this band, as they had a very short career and their drummer, Aaron Cometbus, was better known as a writer, due to his zine "Cometbus." That said, they were one of the innovators of the California Bay Area sound, and a staple at the legendary venue, 924 Gilman Street. You may recognize that for many reasons, but most notably because that's where Green Day got their start. Incidentally, Crimpshrine is one of the most direct influences on said band.

Sidenote: This is one of my all-time favorite songs.

24. Operation Ivy

While they were not the first band to infuse punk rock with ska, they did in many ways, bring it to the masses. The sound was so different, it was a true melding of two genres into a new one. They are one of the few bands that almost everyone I know likes/liked at some point. Their peaceful, but anti-establishment message was also somewhat different at a time when punk was very aggressive and about total anarchy. Finally, some of the members went on to form Rancid after the band, and while they're not on this list, they certainly helped punk rock gain mainstream acceptance/be a viable way for a musician to make a living.

23. 7 Seconds

7 Seconds helped bring the straight edge message to a softer crowd than Minor Threat being that they were one of the earlier pioneers of what is now known as pop-punk, but also were one of the earlier punk bands to put environmental messages into their music -- and this was in the early 1980s when it wasn't in vogue like it is today.

AFI is another band that started out playing straightforward, Southern California punk -- a sound emulated by countless bands. Over their career, they have evolved with each album, showing that a punk band can not only change, but stay true to their sound at the same time. This slot, based on this logic, could also have gone to Green Day, but to be honest, Green Day had some rough times and pulled off a comeback. AFI have been on a constant rise through their career, and as such, eeked out the honors.

21. Rites of Spring

Some may argue "this would be a good thing," but without this band, modern post-hardcore/emo probably wouldn't even exist. The band was short-lived, but is often credited as "the first emo band." It's phenomenal that a band with a single studio album could have such power, but... that's often the case. The brightest stars burn out the fastest, no?