1. The Clash – The Clash have one of the best punk songs ever made in London Calling. They appealed to both the hardcore punk listeners and with songs like Train in Vain they also appealed to the more casual listeners to the entire punk genre.
2. Dead Kennedys – Here are one of the first big punk bands to come out. They swept the nation with their music, and with their songs like Holiday in Cambodia and Kill the Poor. Beginning in the late 1970’s, this band could be considered as one of the best punk bands of all time.
3. Black Flag – Also being one of the first bands in the history of punk, theis band was the first hardcore punk band and probably one of the most famous. Black Flag can be known what they are just by looking at their name. They were a raw band who were obviously in favor of an anarchist government because the symbol “Black flag” is an anarchist symbol.
4. The Ramones – The Ramones were considered by many to actually be the real first punk band. They should be highly regarded just because of this fact, but there is just so much more to them than that. A few years ago, they were considered by Spin Magazine to be the second best band ever, behind the Beatles. Whenever you are listed in the same sentence as the Beatles, you know you have made it big.
5. Bad Religion – Though Bad Religion did not make it quite as big as the other bands in this list, they should be considered for one of the best bands in punk. In the early 1980’s Bad Religion was credited for the revival of the entire punk genre.
6. Flogging Molly – Flogging Molly is one of the up and coming bands in the punk genre. They have been releasing quality content for some time now and are still on the rise. They are not as critically acclaimed as the rest of the bands in this list, but they are going to be considered one of the better punk bands after about another decade.
7. Sex Pistols – The Sex Pistols were one of the most important bands in punk. They influenced the UK to begin the punk movement. Here are one of the most famous and popular punk bands in the genre and for this reason they are on the top 10 list.
8. Dropkick Murphys – Here is an interesting band. With deep Irish roots, this band plays a mixture of punk rock and Celtic rock. They have swept the nation with their hit “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” which was featured in the movie The Departed.
9. Social Distortion – With songs that have made it on the recent Guitar Hero Series, this band has become popular in both the punk world and the mainstream world. Once this can be done by a band it has achieved high status and deserves a spot in the top 10.
10. Minor Threat – Even though they only lasted for about 3 years, their ideals are still around today. Their push for a “Straight Edge” society keeps their name afloat even today.
