Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Oi! / street punk1977

Second genre

Hardcore punk1980

Head to headOi! / street punk vs Hardcore punk
Oi! / street punk: heaviness 4, melody 7, speed 7. Hardcore punk: heaviness 6, melody 4, speed 9.Heaviness4 / 6Melody7 / 4Speed7 / 9
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Hardcore went faster and more austere; Oi went slower and more anthemic. They are the two answers to the same question about where punk goes after 1978.

Both are shouted, but hardcore punk is faster: 190 to 250 bpm against 150 to 190. Songs run longer in Oi! / street punk: usually 2 to 3 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in hardcore punk. To hear the difference, play Cock Sparrer next to Black Flag. Both grew out of punk rock, Oi! / street punk first and hardcore punk three years after.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Oi! / street punk4
Hardcore punk6
+2
Speed
Oi! / street punk7
Hardcore punk9
+2
Melody
Oi! / street punk7
Hardcore punk4
−3

Oi! / street punk

1977 · United Kingdom

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Oi! / street punk

In short

Working-class punk with terrace choruses and lyrics about the pub, the factory and football.

How it sounds

  • Simple choruses built to be shouted by a full room.
  • Thick guitar tone but rock and roll riffs rather than hardcore ones.
  • Mid tempos, plain drumming and lyrics about everyday life.

Key acts

  • Cock Sparrer
  • Sham 69
  • The Business

Start here

The pickCock Sparrer - Shock Troops. Slade-level choruses with punk guitars.

Full page →

Hardcore punk

1980 · California / Washington DC · 13 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk

In short

Punk accelerated to 200 bpm, songs of one minute and shouted vocals. Without it there is no thrash, no grindcore, no metalcore.

How it sounds

  • Tempos of 180 to 250 bpm with galloping or skank drum patterns.
  • Songs under a minute, with whole albums running twenty minutes.
  • Shouted rather than sung vocals, and direct political or personal lyrics.

Key acts

  • Black Flag
  • Minor Threat
  • Bad Brains
  • Discharge

Start here

The pickBad Brains - Bad Brains (the ROIR cassette). The fastest band of the decade.

Full page →