Noise

Appearing in the early 1980s, noise punk (or noise rock) took punk into a more experimental zone. More distortion, less tonality, noise added. The Rosetta stone of noise rock is generally agreed to be the second Velvet Underground album, White Light/White Heat (1968) though many also cite The Stooges as inspiration, especially Ron Asheton’s approach to the guitar.

Key artists include Sonic Youth, Big Black and Swans.