Confused about the difference between punk and goth? Have no fear. Here’s everything you need to know to start exploring these two alternative subcultures.
The punk and goth subcultures are both rooted in underground music scenes that emerged in the mid-late 70s and early 80s, respectively. Because of this and their sometimes similar fashion aesthetic, it’s easy to get them confused. The two scenes came into being around the same time, and a lot of bands that started out as punk rockers later transitioned into goth acts—as we’ll see!
Goths and punks undoubtedly share a lot of similarities: they’re disaffected, they share a disdain for shallow mainstream culture, and they have a theatrical sense of fashion. The difference between them largely stems from how they deal with their feelings of alienation and disenchantment with the world.
So what’s the difference between goth and punk?
Punks are all about channeling anger into activism and resistance; they’re provocative and in your face. Conversely, goths embrace a romanticized sadness and find beauty in the dark and macabre. Their style is less confrontational and more introspective—punk vs. goth is a matter of attitude as much as music and fashion. But the music styles are quite distinct from one another as well.
Punk Music
Punk rock is known for simple, driving buzzsaw guitar riffs and fast tempos. Punk lyrics are often funny or shocking and overtly political. The music is raw and energetic—after all, punks invented the mosh pit. Punk rock also has a playfulness and sense of irony about it that is largely absent from its gloomier counterpart.
Examples:
Goth Music
Goth rock music is often complex, melodic, and synth-driven, owing to its New Wave influences. It is dark and atmospheric, slower in tempo than punk rock and full of lush soundscapes. Lyrics are preoccupied with themes of death, longing, and sadness.
Examples:
The Movement from Punk to Goth
The music that would become known as “gothic rock” started out as an offshoot of punk. British bands like Joy Division, Wire, and The Fall turned jagged, angular punk rock into something at once darker and more ethereal. This new post punk music genre left punk’s angry shout behind, instead expressing resignation, anxiety, and despair. Joy Division’s gloom-shrouded classic 1979 LP Unknown Pleasures is the most famous and enduring example of post punk music.
The same year, the Northampton band Bauhaus released the single that would define goth as a genre in just under ten lumbering minutes: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” All the elements are there: the deep, droning vocals, the horror-inspired imagery with a heavy dose of camp, the bone-rattling descending bassline, the echoing, layered guitars. It had the theatricality of glam rock with a clear debt to David Bowie and the jarring rhythms of Jamaican dub, but with a dark and desolate twist.
Goth was born—or rather, undead.
Then there’s the old guard London punk band The Damned, led by singer Dave Vanian (the Transyl- is implied). With his black lipstick and Bride of Frankenstein hair, Vanian was goth before the word existed. By 1985’s moody, expansive album Phantasmagoria, the pioneering punk band had fully embraced the emerging goth scene.
In the years that followed the release of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” the scene would coalesce around dark luminaries like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Nick Cave’s early band The Birthday Party. A weekly London club night known as The Batcave became the place to see and be seen in black eyeliner and AquaNet, and its house band Specimen helped shape goth’s sound and flamboyant, gender-defying fashion aesthetic.
Goth vs. Punk Style
Goths and punks might share a fondness for a creative DIY ethos, tattoos, and piercings, but that’s about where their fashion similarities end.
Punk Fashion
Punk style involves modified or “deconstructed” clothing—think ripped jeans, sweaters held together with safety pins, and hoodies and denim vests covered in hand-sewn band patches and buttons. Loud patterns like plaid or leopard print might make an appearance, and flannel shirts are always popular, especially for more grunge-inspired looks. Leather motorcycle jackets are a certified punk staple as well.
Punk fashion can be thought of as “anti-fashion.” It’s meant to be absurd and make a bold statement, poking fun at convention while expressing creativity and individuality.
Goth Fashion
Goth style encompasses a wide variety of looks, from Victorian-style dresses and tailcoats to skintight black latex. However, a fondness for black clothes and makeup is the one thing they all have in common (give or take a pastel goth). Goth clothing often incorporates elements like lace, velvet, leather straps, and buckles. Corsets and leather harnesses are popular for goth club nights.
Of course, it all depends on the gothic aesthetic a person chooses. For example, the 80s-style goth look with teased hair and long black jackets is known as trad goth, while newer Hot Topic-inspired styles are labeled nu goth or mall goth. Romantic or Victorian goths go out dressed in head-to-toe lace and velvet, while cybergoths adopt a Y2K look straight out of The Matrix, often with colorful hair extensions and goggles.
When in doubt, check out the shoes. Goths love black platform boots, the taller the better.
Can someone be goth and punk at the same time?
Absolutely! The goth-punk aesthetic is sometimes known as “deathrock,” and it involves a darker spin on the classic ripped-jeans-and-mohawk punk look. The deathrock scene emerged in L.A. in the 80s alongside the West Coast hardcore bands that were prevalent at the time—check out 45 Grave and Christian Death to get a feel for the vibe.
If you’re still not sure where you fall on the goth-punk spectrum, listen to a few bands and see which music style appeals to your tortured soul. (Of course, being into the music isn’t a requirement. You can experiment with goth/punk fashion without digging through record crates.) Whether you’re more into safety pins or bat wings, you’ll find a community of outsiders waiting for you.