The term "punk rock" was first used by certain American rock critics in the early 1970s to describe 1960s garage bands and subsequent acts then perceived as stylistic inheritors. The genre was a relatively well-established movement by the mid 1970s, and was inspired by the music of the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop and early David Bowie.

The genre of music was later adopted and morphed into a fashion statement. It was about being outrageous and insulting. It consisted of wearing the most out-there clothing. Some wardrobes went as far as containing nazi memorabilia and drawing swastika's on body parts. This is quite contradicting considering punk was typically meant to rebel against the oppressive system, so you wouldn't necessarily picture them donning facist symbols however it wasn't always about rebelling a system, the main focus was typically acting shocking and outrageous towards the older counterparts.