On the Nature of Resistance: The Chicago Hardcore Punk Scene and Levels of Opposition to the Dominant Culture

Very little has been written from a sociological or urban studies perspective about the hardcore punk subculture in the United States. Further, few studies have dealt with this social group’s ideology and tendency towards overt resistance to mainstream culture. In this study, I give a general perspective of the hardcore subculture and then, using basic univariate and bivariate analyses, show that resistance increases as time and involvement in the hardcore scene increases. I conclude by analyzing the usefulness of my study to others and also by acknowledging the possibility of a growing youth movement. What is Hardcore Anyway? Hardcore in its broadest sense is a type of music, similar in some ways to punk, heavy metal, and hip-hop each having abrasive sonic qualities and lyrically acknowledging a variety of social problems needing to be addressed today: ageism, sexism, racism, and classism. Along with its musical and lyrical qualities, a hardcore music scene has developed as well; in other words, the bands and fans come together at shows (concerts) where three to six bands play and fans pay $3 to $6 to hear and see their favorites. Usually these shows are held in punkhouses, basements, VFW halls, or anywhere else they are allowed. Music scenes bring people together through their sense of style. Basically, the fans and bands wear similar clothing, like similar music, participate in similar activities and/or share similar ideas. The only thing lacking in turning a music scene into a community is that the scene’s members might live far away from each other, hindering the possibility of any contact outside of the show; although, in hardcore it seems that many of the people in the scene see each other under other