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

Punk rock1974

Head to headOi! / street punk vs Punk rock
Oi! / street punk: heaviness 4, melody 7, speed 7. Punk rock: heaviness 4, melody 7, speed 8.Heaviness4 / 4Melody7 / 7Speed7 / 8
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Oi kept punk's simplicity and aimed it at a working-class audience the London art-school scene had drifted from. Slower, and built around a chorus a crowd can shout.

Both are shouted and move at much the same pace, around 150 to 200 bpm. To hear the difference, play Cock Sparrer next to Ramones. Oi! / street punk grew out of punk rock, three years later.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Oi! / street punk4
Punk rock4
level
Speed
Oi! / street punk7
Punk rock8
+1
Melody
Oi! / street punk7
Punk rock7
level

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 →

Punk rock

1974 · New York / London · 31 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock

In short

Three chords, two minutes and zero patience for solos. A full reset of rock, and the second major source of extreme metal.

How it sounds

  • Three or four chords, open position or power chords, strummed in eighths.
  • Songs of ninety seconds to two and a half minutes, with no long intro and no guitar solo.
  • Fast, cheap production with the vocals up front and simple drums on two and four.

Key acts

  • Ramones
  • Sex Pistols
  • The Clash
  • Buzzcocks

Start here

The pickRamones - Ramones. Fourteen songs in twenty-nine minutes, not a wasted note.

Full page →