Images by Ian Beck
What does punk music look like now? Is it still the snarling, political beast it once was? Or has it become another aesthetic worn by Depop sellers and TikTok bands trying to go viral? Depending on who you ask, punk is either thriving underground or fading into a fashion. The truth is probably both.
Take Soft Play – formerly known as Slaves – who returned in 2023 after a short hiatus and a name change sparked by cultural criticism. Once poster boys for a new wave of British punk, their shift raised a lot of questions: Can punk evolve without selling out? Can you still be angry with a booking agent and a PR team?
Their recent releases still carry some grit, but they’ve clearly grown up. Less raw rage, more controlled chaos. They’re not alone. Bands like IDLES, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Fontaines D.C. have led the post-punk music revival, mixing politics with performance, but some argue it’s more theatre than threat.
In 2025, it’s easy to look punk. Doc Martens are everywhere. Chains are on the high street. You can buy distressed band tees at Urban Outfitters. But looking punk and being punk aren’t the same thing, and that tension is part of the genre’s current identity crisis.
On TikTok and Instagram, “punk” is often reduced to a vibe: eyeliner, safety pins, and anarchist quotes stripped of context.
That’s not necessarily a problem – punk has always been about accessibility. But it does blur the line between homage and hollowing out.
If punk has a heartbeat in 2025, it’s in the DIY venues, independent record shops, and sweaty backroom gigs that rarely go viral. Think £5 entry, zines for sale at the door, and bands with names like Gutter Milk or Internet Trauma. This is where real community-building still happens, where punk remains political, queer, messy, and loud.
Cities like Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, and Berlin are still nurturing grassroots punk scenes with line-ups that prioritize inclusivity and raw energy over algorithmic appeal. Look out for nights like Loud Women Fest, Decolonise Fest, or DIY Space for London offshoots , events that prove punk isn’t just alive, it’s adapting.
Punk in 2025 rarely sounds like it did in the ’70s and maybe that’s a good thing. The genre has splintered in every direction: noise punk, queer punk, ska-punk, cyberpunk-inflected industrial. There are punks with laptops and punks with loop pedals. Acts like Bob Vylan are blending grime and punk with razor-sharp commentary. Others are mixing punk energy with hyperpop aesthetics or shoegaze distortion.
The distortion is literal and metaphorical – punk is harder to define than ever, but that’s what keeps it alive. Its core isn’t necessarily a sound, it’s a stance.
The concept of a “poser” feels dated now. In a post-ironic internet culture, everyone’s performing something and authenticity is harder to measure. You could argue that the gatekeeping of punk is what kept it stagnant in the past. Now, with more people experimenting, remixing, and rewriting the rules, punk is more expansive, even if it means it sometimes gets watered down.
Some punks mourn the purity of the genre. Others welcome the chaos. But maybe the real poser is the one who thinks punk ever stood still.
For more stories on music click here: Music – Illuminated
