20 Punk Rock Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Of all the various subgenres that have sprung from rock and roll music, none have quite matched the mystique and raw energy of punk rock.

Be it the brand of punk rock that emerged in London in the late 1970s (the style that emerged in New York City around the same time) or all the other styles and offshoots that have emerged since then, this is a genre that despite what some might say, has withstood the test of time.

This is due in no small part to the countless iconic, memorable records that have been released by the bands that have helped define the genre over the last four decades, some of whom continue to do so to this very day.

The following albums not only helped define punk rock culture, but are ones you absolutely must listen to at some point in your life, if not just to familiarise yourself with one of the best musical genres on the planet.

Generation X was one of the groups at the forefront of the punk rock movement's early days in the United Kingdom. The band may have been fairly short-lived, but they will still always be remembered as the launching pad for lead singer Billy Idol, who would go on to a successful solo career.

However, just because Idol's mainstream success would come later doesn't mean his early work with Gen X is something to be glossed over. In fact, the band's eponymous debut album showed Idol, as well as the rest of the band, at some of their very best.

If you like music that is raw and raunchy, yet still catchy and melodious, then this is the album for you. Rather than being overproduced, this album just has pure, unadulterated rock and roll. The emphasis was on the music and the emotion behind it, not how everything was mixed.

The album also featured timeless punk anthems, such as One Hundred Punks, Ready Steady Go, and Kiss Me Deadly.