punk rock

noun

: rock music marked by extreme and often deliberately offensive expressions of alienation and social discontent
punk rocker noun

Examples of punk rock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fans and members of the New York City punk rock movement scene are stepping up to help Television trailblazer Richard Lloyd fight a rare form of cancer. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026 In 2014 and 2016, photographer Dennis Morris accused her of reproducing his photographs of members of the punk rock band Sex Pistols. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Of course, people at the top can profit well before any of that matters which, from at least one vantage point, could seem very punk rock, indeed. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026 That rang closer to punk rock, raw and searing, echoing down the halls. — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punk rock

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of punk rock was in 1970

Rhymes for punk rock

See All Rhymes for punk rock

Browse Nearby Words

punk out
punk rock
punk tree
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Punk rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punk%20rock. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

punk rock

noun
: rock music marked by extreme expressions of anger and social discontent

More from Merriam-Webster on punk rock

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about punk rock

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All