Many a bar fight has broken out over punk rock's birth. Fans tend to split into two camps: those who credit the Ramones' first appearance at CBGB in New York City circa 1974 and those who point to the early galvanizing Sex Pistols shows in London around 1975-76. It is probably more accurate to say the New York and London scenes are two sides of the same coin; each inspired the other with a rivalry of one-upmanship. The New York stirrings came first, but it was the younger, more fashion-conscious London movement that captured the attention and outrage of the world. One point is indisputable: punk rock lives. Often fast and always loud and adventurous, it started as a crucial strike against an increasingly bloated music industry and a stripping-down of rock music to its barest essentials--three chords and the truth, indeed; it has survived three decades of rabid co-opting by Madison Avenue owing to the startling simplicity, innovation, and nerve of its discography. Several generations of rebellion-seeking teenagers have learned to play guitar, bass, and drums with the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and the Clash--punk's most recognizable exponents--and many have gone on to form influential contemporary groups of their own (e.g., Nirvana, Rancid, Green Day). In this article, the author examines the initial explosion of punk music, 1974-78, in New York and London, which had the clubs and media to foster indelible movements. Furthermore, many of the history titles in the bibliography presented in this article contain excellent discographies, and ambitious collection development librarians are also encouraged to surf the web for die-hard fans' lists and time lines. While many punk performances can be found on YouTube, because of copyright issues, they may prefer to steer their patrons to the selected DVDs.