punk
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punk
A person who belongs to the punk subculture, often characterized by a particular attitude toward life, taste in music, and striking appearance.
Mit seiner Irokesenfrisur und der Lederjacke sah er aus wie ein typischer Punk aus den 80ern.
With his mohawk and leather jacket, he looked like a typical punk from the 80s.
'Punk' is a loanword from English and refers both to the subculture and to the music genre. The pronunciation is very similar to the English word.
Die Punk-Bewegung hatte großen Einfluss auf Mode und Musik.
The punk movement had a major influence on fashion and music.
You can tell from the context whether music or a person is meant. If it is about listening or playing, it is the genre. If it is about appearance or actions, it is a person.
Als Teenager hat sie nur Punk gehört.
As a teenager, she only listened to punk.
When a person is meant, 'Punk' is often combined with descriptions of the subculture's typical visual style, e.g. hairstyle, clothing, or jewelry.
Vor dem Club stand ein Punk mit einer Lederjacke voller Nieten.
In front of the club stood a punk with a leather jacket full of studs.
When 'Punk' refers to the musical style, it is often used with verbs like 'hören' (to listen to) and 'spielen' (to play), or in compounds like 'Punk-Konzert' (punk concert) and 'Punk-Band' (punk band).
Meine erste Band wollte unbedingt Punk spielen.
My first band absolutely wanted to play punk.
skirt / rock
'der Rock' and 'der Punk' can both refer to music. In this sense, punk is a specific type of rock music, usually faster, simpler, and often more aggressive. So 'Rock' is the broader term, while 'Punk' is more specific. The words can be confused because both occur as music genres. In addition, 'der Rock' also means an item of clothing, and 'der Punk' can also be a person from the punk subculture. The context is therefore important: with bands, concerts, and songs, it is usually about music; with clothing or people, it is not.
Auf dem Festival spielte eine Band schnellen Punk.
A band played fast punk at the festival.
Mein Vater hört gern alten Rock mit lauten Gitarren.
My father likes listening to old rock with loud guitars.