The Myth of Punk’s 1978 Death: What Really Happened

Many fans point to 1978—when Johnny Rotten announced the Sex Pistols’ breakup on stage at Winterland—as the moment punk collapsed, yet that year was anything but quiet. In this episode we trace what really happened: the first‑wave scene still churned out new songs and tours; hardcore exploded from Los Angeles’s DIY network; post‑punk blossomed in Berlin, Manchester and beyond; anarcho‑punk took hold across Britain; and independent labels—SST, Dischord, Lookout! and others—were expanding their mailing lists, pressings and touring circuits. By following clubs, fanzines, venues and the economics that kept punk alive, we see why saying “punk died in 1978” is a simplification of a branching, resilient underground.

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