Who are the best modern punk bands? Even the most seasoned veterans have a hard time narrowing it down. After all, there’s no denying the state of the genre looks vastly different from its inception in the late ’70s, continuing to shift and expand through the decades. Over in the Bay Area, Scowl formed after meeting at 924 Gilman and have continued to stretch its borders between heaviness and pop hooks with Are We All Angels. In Long Island, Machine Girl have digitalized their punk chaos, tapping into themes of mind control and the collective unconscious while maintaining that resistance “starts in the mind.” In Sacramento, Destroy Boys tap into otherness with songs that challenge gender norms, empower crowds to speak up, and promote safe spaces.
Read more: Fan poll: 5 best punk vocalists of all time
On the heels of our Spiritual Cramp cover story last week, we wanted to know who readers consider to be the best modern punk bands. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
5. IDLES
In a world where intolerance has gotten louder, IDLES continue to show love and empathy however they can. From the very beginning, the band have created visceral punk that fosters self-care, big feelings, and taking care of your community. Live, that feeling only swells, led by frontman Joe Talbot’s unbridled energy. “We make music as a way to reflect and to feel something much bigger than ourselves,” he said to a crowd in Houston last year. “And this is it. This communion that we’re in right now, the thing between us can only be described as love. You have brought the fucking light.”
4. Mannequin Pussy
Mannequin Pussy grinded it out for years in Philly’s underground, exploding with their third album and Epitaph debut Patience. Since, they’ve continued to expand their ferocious punk, using it to fuel a “solitary experience” on last year’s excellent I Got Heaven. In terms of their gigs, the band fall somewhere between Metallica and Patti Smith. “The live show is such an opportunity to express our collective creativity and engage in the collective rage that we have in a larger music community. People are looking for release,” bandleader Marisa “Missy” Dabice said in 2024. That becomes instantly clear whenever they perform “Loud Bark,” building to a staggering climax until they have nothing left to give.
3. Viagra Boys
Introducing the least SEO friendly name on this list. Viagra Boys are hard to classify, but no matter how many sounds they encompass, they have a distinct approach to punk. The Swedish six-piece helm their own label imprint, Shrimptech Industries, thrive on chaotic impulse, and encourage their fans to be just as weird (one famously grated cheese on people’s heads during their Desert Daze performance in 2022). Like the best punk bands, their ascent can be credited to their raucous live shows, where frontman Sebastian Murphy leads the crowd through shirtless hip thrusts, social commentary, and electric howls. “Freaks recognize freaks,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s freeing for a lot of people to see some dude that has clearly no muscles and is just letting his gut hang out have a good time.”
2. Amyl and the Sniffers
Hailing from Melbourne, Amyl and the Sniffers got their start playing in pubs, gleaning their name from doing poppers. Their brand of punk offers a powerful tribute to the genre in its purest form — frenetic, anarchic, and genuinely witty. During their shows, flyers are strewn across venue walls, saying that the band have zero tolerance toward sexual assault or discrimination — a reminder that they always get rowdy with respect. Onstage, Amy Taylor’s fierce movements match the intensity of the fans throwing down in the pit, using scantily clad outfits to empower audiences, rather than be objectified. By the time the last song rolls around, it’s clear that Amyl and the Sniffers are thoughtful and fiercely singular performers, all while advocating for a better world.
1. Turnstile
Turnstile’s NEVER ENOUGH era provoked much debate about whether or not they’re still hardcore. Upon seeing their live shows, however, that question pretty much folds in on itself. As bodies fly around, their shows embody everything the band set out to accomplish since their early days — feel-good hardcore that gets everyone moving. As they’ve broken out of Baltimore and adopted a sound meant for arenas, that ethos has never changed, resulting in the type of gigs that feel communal while employing PMA (or, in their case, TLC) that pays homage to Bad Brains and Youth of Today. Get to the gig and see for yourself.