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Protopunk is a term used to describe a number of performers who were important precursors of punk rock, or who have been cited by early punk rockers as influential. Typically, protopunk bands were not considered punk themselves.

Most protopunkers are rock and roll performers of the 1960s and early-1970s, though some earlier performers have been cited. The garage rock of the 1960s and later has been cited as quite influential in the development of punk rock. Many such garage rock artists can be found on the Nuggets compilations. Some protopunk bands, particularly in the United Kingdom, also fall into the categories of glam rock or UK pub rock.

Protopunk, per se, is generally not regarded as a distinct musical genre, as the precursors of punk rock came from a wide array of backgrounds, styles and influences.

Main article: Punk rock

The invention of the term "punk rock" is generally credited to critic Dave Marsh who used it in 1970 to describe the group Question Mark and the Mysterians, who scored a major hit with their song "96 Tears."^[1] Over the next few years, the term was used occasionally to describe a number of American bands, mostly active in the mid-to-late '60s, playing music that today would be classified as garage rock: a ragged, highly energetic and often amateurish form of rock and roll.

In 1976 and '77, punk rock became a worldwide phenomenon, with centers of activity first in New York City, then London and the Los Angeles area; though pockets of similarly-minded musicians could be found worldwide.

In later years, fans and musicians began exploring the roots of the early punk movement, and the term "proto punk" was coined to describe these early, pre-punk influences.

The term "protopunk" is of uncertain origins, and has proven difficult to define, and many widely different groups have been so dubbed. Most had a certain attitude or appearance seen as important, as opposed to any specific musical tendencies. According to the Allmusic guide:^[2]

[Protopunk] was never a cohesive movement, nor was there a readily identifiable proto-punk sound that made its artists seem related at the time. What ties proto-punk together is a certain provocative sensibility that didn't fit the prevailing counterculture of the time ... It was consciously subversive and fully aware of its outsider status ... In terms of its lasting influence, much proto-punk was primitive and stripped-down, even when it wasn't aggressive, and its production was usually just as unpolished. It also frequently dealt with taboo subject matter, depicting society's grimy underbelly in great detail, and venting alienation that was more intense and personal than ever before.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, punk rock would fracture into dozens of subgenres.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a number of bands would hearken back to the early garage rock sound, creating the garage rock revival and garage punk movement.

American influences on punk rock included singer Patti Smith; The Velvet Underground; The Fugs; the Stooges; the Sonics; Alice Cooper; the MC5; Blue Öyster Cult; the Monks; Rocket from the Tombs; the Modern Lovers; Question Mark and the Mysterians; Captain Beefheart; Figures of Light; Electric Eels; Link Wray; Paul Revere and The Raiders; The Trashmen; The Dictators; the New York Dolls; and to an extent, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

British protopunk performers include The Who, the Kinks; David Bowie; Edgar Broughton Band; Peter Hammill; Hawkwind; Them; Doctors of Madness, T. Rex; Brian Eno; The Troggs; and Roxy Music.

Remarkably, the American groups Suicide,^[3] Devo^[4], Pere Ubu^[5] and Television^[6] have all been classified as both protopunk and post-punk, but these bands' unusual, experimental qualities have rarely seen them classified as "textbook" punk.

There were some precursors to punk that had little contact with, or influence on the later punk movement, such as the Peruvian band Los Saicos.

The Australian band Radio Birdman is also generally heralded as "protopunk".

• Punk rock
• List of forerunners of punk music
• Freak scene