The Grumpy Punk

In prepping for my show this Saturday, I got into a semantic argument with myself:

What is punk music?

I think this debate began shortly after the first issue of Punk magazine was published back in the day, which was dedicated to this "new" form of music that they were all fans of. Even the origins of the word is steeped in self-analysis, so it only makes sense that 30 plus years later, there is still plenty of room within the discourse to start defining terms again.

Always inspired by kungfuramone and his interest in lists, I tried to think of a short list of bands that seemed, to me, "essential" to any such definition, but as my Short List became ironicly named, it occured to me that I might be trying too hard. For different people, the word "punk" evokes a hundred different bands, eras, styles, and politics, and to try and do something like that on my own would be silly.

So,

What I need is a shoot-from-the-hip, quick-response list of the five bands that first come to mind when you think of punk. Post it in a comment. Do it now.

Thank you for your time.