List of forerunners of punk music

This is a list of protopunk bands and individuals who were influential in the development of punk rock.

Protopunk bands (circa 1964-1974)

  • 13th Floor Elevators
  • Big Star
  • Black Randy & the Metrosquad
  • Blue Cheer
  • Cheap Trick
  • Count Five
  • Doctors of Madness
  • Dr. Feelgood
  • Figures of Light
  • Graham Parker & the Rumour
  • Hawkwind
  • John's Children
  • Los Saicos
  • Love
  • MC5
  • Mirrors
  • Mott the Hoople
  • Neon Boys
  • Neu!
  • New York Dolls
  • Question Mark & the Mysterians
  • Radio Birdman
  • Rocket From The Tombs
  • Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
  • [...]
  • T. Rex
  • The Dictators
  • The Edgar Broughton Band
  • The Electric Eels
  • The Flamin' Groovies
  • The Fugs
  • The Godz
  • The Kinks
  • The Modern Lovers
  • The Mothers of Invention
  • The Monks
  • The Pink Fairies
  • The Red Krayola
  • The Residents
  • The Saints
  • The Seeds
  • The Sonics
  • The Standells
  • The Stooges
  • The Troggs
  • The Velvet Underground
  • The Who
  • Third World War
  • Ton Steine Scherben

Protopunk individuals

  • Syd Barrett
  • Marc Bolan
  • David Bowie
  • Arthur Brown
  • John Cale
  • Captain Beefheart
  • David Peel
  • Alex Chilton
  • Eddie Cochran
  • Alice Cooper
  • Dave Edmunds
  • Roky Erickson
  • Mick Farren
  • Peter Hammill
  • Alex Harvey
  • David Johansen
  • Nick Lowe
  • John Lennon
  • Iggy Pop
  • Lou Reed
  • Jonathan Richman
  • Mick Ronson
  • Brinsley Schwarz
  • Patti Smith
  • Chris Spedding
  • Screaming Lord Sutch
  • Link Wray
  • Frank Zappa