Ahhhh those teenage years- sublime anguish and bittersweet transition, intense periods of discovery and experimentation and of course… a hearty dose of awkward cringe and embarrassing moments that will likely haunt you forever. Good times.
It’s weird to think of it now, but the concept of a ‘teenager’ is a relatively modern invention. Throughout much of history, you were a child and then you were an adult. Bosh- not much time for figuring things out, or a grace period where you were cut some slack to make mistakes. There are some smatterings of words and concepts that we would probably see as old acknowledgements that this period of adolescence is its own distinct development period though. One example is the German word backfisch – literally “baked fish” – a word that showed up in some 19th Century coming-of-age novels and described an adventurous young girl who is seeking independence and autonomy but has a more immature approach to risk and behaviour. Sound familiar?
It was around the late 40s/early 50s onwards that the word ‘teenager’ became more of a common utterance. After World War 2, there was a societal shift to recognise young people deserved rights and a longer time in education to develop academic and emotional skills. The concept of a ‘teen’ was born when The New York Times published its 1945 article ‘A ‘Teen-Age Bill of Rights’ which outlined a 10-point set of rights each teen ought to have, especially in recognition of the fact that many teenagers had fought in the war and were now returning to society.
The rights outlined include ‘the right to have a say about his own life’, ‘the right to have rules explained, not imposed’ and ‘the right to have fun and companions’, ‘the right to question ideas’… seems like an early punk manifesto to me!
And it didn’t take long for culture and capitalism to cotton on to the fact that young people- with spending money- would be a good market to sell things to. As a writer for the New Yorker noted in 1958:
“To some extent, the teenage market – and, in fact, the very notion of the teenager – has been created by the businessmen who exploit it.”
Maybe another parallel with punk? But that’s for another time and another article…
“I Was A Teenage Anarchist….”
Is punk a youth movement? In other words, is it just something for the kids, a cathartic right of passage that leverages youthful exuberance and the need to rebel? Whilst any one of any age can be as active and enthusiastic about punk as anyone else, there has always been a place for the teenage experience in punk with bands from all waves and subgenres tapping the well of those painful formative years to chronicle in their songs.
And there is plenty of research that backs up the reality we all know- being a teenager is fucking hard. It’s a confusing, infuriating and daunting time peppered with moments of joy, connection and discovery. The age of 8 to 14 is the period where a child is likely to become more alienated from their parents (Fidler 2010) and because of this, peer relationships become significant as young people seek connections outside of the immediate family.
Research also tells us that the developmental tasks of being a teenager are similar to those experienced in the toddler years. Growing used to the changing body, learning about the self and expression of personality, are all part of being a teenager. (Rageliene 2016).
And rebellion – and whatever form that takes- is also a key part of development for adolescents. It helps form identity, test boundaries, regulate how we assess risk and make decisions. It does track then, that with all the above, finding belonging and solace in punk slots so well into this period- as a ‘scene’ it is rebellion, catharsis, expression, revelation and solidarity combined- just what young ‘uns need.
My own teenage years were spent consuming the pop punk version of adolescence- unrequited crushes, trapped in a hometown, a burgeoning spirit that is both dismissed and misunderstood. And pop punk in particular has a reputation for being the wave of punk that really embraced the turmoils and dramas of the teenage brain.
The first two Green Day albums (‘39/Smooth’ and ‘Kerplunk’) capture the stomach clenching yearning that is first love across numerous tracks (‘1000 Hours’ ‘Why Do You Want him?’ ‘80’ ‘Private Ale’) and with their next album 1994’s ‘Dookie’, they were still singing about coming of age, boredom, frustration and tenuous steps into adulthood with songs like ‘Longview‘:
“I sit around and watch the tube
But nothing’s on
I change the channels for an hour or two
Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit
I’m sick of all the same old shit
In a house with unlocked doors and I’m fuckin’ lazy“
‘Welcome to Paradise’ which features on not 1 but 2 Green Day albums, tells the story of Billie Joe Armstrong’s first foray into independent living, recalling the time he moved out of his mum’s house and into a squat in the Oakland area. Whilst we may not all head straight from home into such a volatile living environment, we can all relate to those feelings of fear at striking out on your own:
“Dear mother, can you hear me whinin’?
It’s been three whole weeks since that I have left your home
This sudden fear has left me tremblin’
‘Cause now it seems that I am out here on my own
And I’m feelin’ so alone“
Blink 182’s ‘Dude Ranch’, released in 1997, dealt with almost identical issues across the LP with their hit track ‘Dammit’ immortalising the line that summarises the resigned shrug we all feel when we’ve transitioned into the fraught world of adulthood:
“Well I Guess This is Growing Up“
The need to separate oneself from our parents or other authority figures lends itself to the rebellion of a movement like punk and a ‘year zero’ approach- just as the individual teen wants to shake off the parental hand that guides their life and this may involve rejecting their values and norms and expectations… so too do the new tastemakers, scene builders and fans want to carve out their own culture and with it, their own rules, ethics, style and sounds.
Rock ‘N’ Roll High School
One arena that provides an endless source of angst for young people is school, and for US culture in particular, high school is great fodder for films (Breakfast Club, Clueless, Mean Girls, Napoleon Dynamite, Heathers), TV programmes (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Freaks and Geeks, Glee, Dawson’s Creek) and punk music is no different. Bowling For Soup sang about the very thing in their 2006 hit ‘High School Never Ends‘:
“And you still don’t have the right look
And you don’t have the right friends
Nothin’ changes but the faces, the names and the trends
High school never ends“
And it is excruciating, as Simple Plan sang about in their 2002 track ‘I’m Just A Kid’:
“I’m just a kid and life is a nightmare
I’m just a kid, I know that it’s not fair
Nobody cares, ’cause I’m alone and the world is
Having more fun than me tonight“
There are some words of comfort to be had in the fact that any mistakes, missteps, embarrassments and losses you suffer in these years still afford you time to claw it back- to quote Jimmy Eat World’s worldwide smash hit and early 00s anthem ‘The Middle’:
“It just takes some time
Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride
Everything, everything will be just fine
Everything, everything will be alright, alright“
Frontman Jim Adkins has spoken about being partly inspired by an email he received from a fan in Junior High who was struggling to fit in with the more ‘punk’ crowd at her high school and Adkins wanted to give her (and other awkward teens finding their group) the reassurance that forging your own path will be worth it.
Casting off friendships is no easy feat, particularly when you consider how significant those platonic relationships can be and it wasn’t just pop punk that knew that. Hardcore legends Minor Threat were not only about straight edge and high level ethical discussions- the interpersonal struggles were also preoccupations for the likes of Ian MacKaye as explored in the song ‘Look Back and Laugh’ from 1983. The lyrics detail the aftermath of a falling out amongst friends and the pain that endures in this situation- and the inclination to want to put things right and repair the damage:
“One day something funny happened
But it scared the shit out of me
Their heads went in different directions
And their friendship ceased to be“
From The Undertones and their classic punk track ‘Teenage Kicks’ back in 1978, to the Linda Lindas and their 2022 album ‘Growing Up’, punk has been tackling the topic of getting older, becoming an adult and finding your way from the very beginning. It is a time of life where everything feels like it is a high stakes game, where you’re suffocated by contradictions and indignities but also having some of the most powerful experiences you will ever have. It is triumph and tragedy.
And punk has been there for teenagers since its inception – offering hope and acceptance at a time when that is sorely needed. And this fact may demonstrate that ultimately, when you scratch below the surface, punk is a healthier place to be at least mentally than the rest of society.
And if you want to read about pop punk and heartbreak specifically…check out our post HERE.
