Genre · Punk & Post-Punk
New Wave
Post-punk tightness with pop hooks, chorus guitar, and early synth color.
New Wave keeps punk’s short forms and adds danceable grids, cleaner production, and MTV-ready image. Bass and rhythm guitar often lead; solos shrink. Talking Heads, The Police, and early Cure sit on the chronicle’s post-punk → pop/alternative bridge.
Upstream
Pioneer acts
Acts that opened or crystallized this sound—fused landmarks, not a separate encyclopedia.