# How do you define punk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680 "2003-02-04T12:43:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/1 "2003-02-04T12:43:14Z")
(White male here) So I’m at work the other day talking to one of my black co-workers; the conversation went something like this: HIM “So how’s your little brother doing?” Me " awe… he’s doing all right; he a little punk though" Him " What? why would you say that about your brother? He’s been acting _funny?_" Anyway halfway through the conversation I realized that we both had two completely different definitions for the word punk. Also FWIW so does the rest of the black/white populace here at my work. To me (white) punk simply means “know it all disrespectfull trouble maker” to him (black) it was a derogatory word for homosexual. So is it like this everywhere or what? How do _you_ define punk? And how the hell is it we came up with two definitios anyway? ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/2 "2003-02-04T14:44:00Z")
Yeah, punk definitely has a different meaning in black culture. Listen to some hip-hop and that should become pretty self-evident. as for what punk is? like, u no avril lavigne? she is so punk. (d&r) ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/3 "2003-02-04T15:09:45Z")
Heh, here I thought this was a music discussion 🙂 White Canadian Female here…“punk” referring to homosexuals? I’ve never ever heard that. “Punk” and “skid” have always, to me, meant “disrespecful kid, rebel for rebel’s sake” and stuff like that. Heh, I got called a punk and a skid plenty when I was in highschool. Music-wise…Well, we could get into a big debate here, so I won’t even bother 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/4 "2003-02-04T15:25:41Z")
> **[Punk Rock Night Indianapolis - Punk Rock Night](https://punkrocknight.com/wp/)** > > Every Saturday Night is Punk Rock Night at the Melody Inn Indianapolis. Local, regional, and national punk acts. Now that’s punk!! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/5 "2003-02-04T15:29:12Z")
“If I were you I’d tell you son I’d pierce my nipples with a staple gun And make a run for Punk Rock Heaven!” Mary Prankster ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/6 "2003-02-04T15:44:58Z")
NEVER heard it in reference to sexuality. Ever. Isn’t that odd? Old white chick, here. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/7 "2003-02-04T16:37:25Z")
The Ramones. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/8 "2003-02-04T17:29:40Z")
Musical genre most prevelant in the mid-to-late seventies/very early eighties. I had to adopt this definition; anything else, and my fifteen year-old sister and I start fighting. (She’s one of those Neu Punks. Well, not really. She just hangs out with a bunch of them, and doesn’t understand when I get really, really irritated. Not that I claim to be punk–I just like the music). I’ve never used it as a noun referring to a person. However, when I’ve heard it used that way, it meant pretty much the same thing as “annoying brat child/teenager.” I’ve never heard it used the other way. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/9 "2003-02-04T17:34:58Z")
Punk is also prison slang for the one on the bottom. I am not sure if it got its meaning before black culture had taken the word or if it had general long term prison usage that later fed black culture. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/10 "2003-02-04T19:15:18Z")
I’ve also never heard of this word as a homosexual reference – news to me. I would have said basically the same meaning you did: no-good troublemaker, etc. Of course, the other would certainly make you look at Dirty Harry movies in a whole new light! "So you gotta ask yourself, punk. ‘Do I feel lucky?’ " 😃 ---
**Author:** ![greck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ab992/32.png) [@greck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/11 "2003-02-04T21:15:22Z")
to refer to someone as a punk in urban culture generally means he cant stand on his own, defend himself, and sometimes has connotations of one who starts trouble, but chickens out when anyone who is truly “hard” shows up. Such a person usually is subject to “being punked” which can mean being taken advantage of at many levels including rape or being stolen from, being made fun of without retaliation did they actually say “homosexual” or “fag?” I’ve never heard it used to mean literally homosexual. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/12 "2003-02-05T02:58:29Z")
I’ve heard it used to refer to the bottom in a homosexual encounter. In fact, I believe that is the origin of the word. If I’m not refering to punk-rock (which, as a punk-rocker, I often do) I use it to mean “disrespectful and purposefully annoying in a harmless and slightly funny way”. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/13 "2003-02-05T03:23:18Z")
Living in atlanta or SF never heard of Punk being gay. Last night I was called the Sid Viscous of Karaoke, guess that makes me more punk than the rest of you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/14 "2003-02-05T05:06:41Z")
Black people in _some_ (dumb) parts of the country use punk to mean “gay”. Other parts, punk means weakling. I’ve never really knew it meant “rebel” (or “gay” until college). Stymie (black) used it in an old Little Rascals short (“get outta here ya’ little punk!”). I don’t think he meant “homosexual”, especially since this was Hayes code period. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/15 "2003-02-05T05:27:51Z")
Main Entry: 1punk Pronunciation: 'p&[ng]k Function: noun Eymology: origin unknown Date: 1596 1 archaic : PROSTITUTE 2 [probably partly from 3punk] : NONSENSE, FOOLISHNESS 3 a : a young inexperienced person : BEGINNER, NOVICE; especially : a young man b : a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian c : a youth used as a homosexual partner 4 a : PUNK ROCK b : a punk rock musician c : one who affects punk styles ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-punk/152680/16 "2003-02-05T17:02:03Z")
How does one define punk? FUCK YOU! Now, there’s the adjectived punk. “That little punk.” “You dirty punk.” “You stupid punk.” That’s got more or less Bronson’s meaning left. “It’s a little punk.” Smells bad. Fruity. Which, I suppose, is where the gay part could come in, but…