Skate Punk

Around the same time as punk music was gaining traction, a young daredevil sport was beginning to gain a following as well. With the development of the urethane wheel in the early '70s, skateboarding was growing into an extremely popular sport, particularly in Southern California where a group called the Z-Boys was mastering ever more dangerous tricks. The love of the sport gave birth to a whole new sub-culture that was looking for a type of music they could connect to.

The Birth of Skate Punk

Skate punk music resembles hardcore punk, in that it is driven by fast, frenetic and aggressive beats. As opposed to the social messages typically associated with punk, skate punk lyrics tend to focus on the tribulations of being a skateboarder. In many cases, the songs are quite humorous and less "in your face" as hardcore punk.

Skate punk has risen and fallen with the ebb and flow of its sporting counterpart. When skating died down due to a lack of venues in the early eighties, so did the music. Fortunately, by the late eighties and early nineties, the sport found new followers, in great part thanks to corporate sponsored events and venues such as the "Warped Tour" and "X-Games."

From NOFX to Suicidal Tendencies, skate punk music has also inspired a style all to its own. From baggy pants to the popularity of VANS and Converse sneakers, skaters tend to wear comfortable clothes, providing maximum maneuverability, while also shunning the conventions of society. Although it may be argued that skate punk has become overly commercialized in the past few years, the sub-genre's exposure to the mainstream has allowed it to grow and survive.