Proto-punk in the 1960s laid the foundation for the punk movement that emerged in the 1970s. Bands like The Sonics, The Swamp Rats, The Stooges, and MC5 played raw, aggressive rock with a DIY attitude, rejecting the polished sound of mainstream music. Their music was loud, fast, and often politically or socially charged, influencing later punk bands with its rebellious energy. While proto-punk didn't yet have the full aesthetic or ethos of punk, it embodied the same spirit of defiance and musical minimalism that would define the genre. (The last track by Jonathan Richman is from 1972.)
