PUNK

Webster Hall

🇺🇸New York, United States

A historic large nightclub and concert venue in the East Village. Webster Hall was originally built in 1886 as a ballroom. In rock history, it's famed for its 1980s stint as The Ritz, one of NYC's top rock clubs. Today, Webster Hall (capacity ~1,400) remains a prime venue for live music and dance nights.

Otto's Shrunken Head

🇺🇸New York, United States

Tiki-punk bar mixing rum cocktails with nightly rockabilly, punk, surf and metal shows.

Hope and Anchor

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub in Upper Street with a basement music room that was crucial in the 1970s pub rock and punk scenes. A Grade II listed building. A historic pub atmosphere upstairs, with a recently refurbished basement live music venue featuring a new PA, enlarged stage, and lighting rig. The upstairs pub functions as a traditional pub, while the basement is a dedicated 80-capacity live music venue.

Irving Plaza

🇺🇸New York, United States

A historic ballroom-style venue with capacity of ~1,200. Irving Plaza has served many identities: a 1940s ballroom, a Polish community center, and from the late '70s onward, a crucial rock concert hall. Known for hosting diverse genres – punk, new wave, metal, alternative, pop – over different eras.

Helgi's

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A self-described occult rock bar, considered a heavy metal bar by any other name. A true labour of love reflecting owners' tastes for 60s/70s heavy rock, psychedelia, and the occult & horror. Features vibrant psychedelic rock decorations, occult decor, good vibes, and heavy music. Known for its welcoming, diverse crowd. Described as "Hackney's heaviest late-night hotspot".

Strangelove

🇺🇸New York, United States

Midtown East graffiti-covered dive promoting cheap beer and nonstop punk playlists.

St. Moritz Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A long-standing basement club in Soho, described as the "ultimate Soho sheebeen," with decor largely unchanged since the 1960s. Known for its legendary club nights.

The Black Heart

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Black Heart is a renowned rock and metal pub in Camden, often described as a "heavy metal hotspot". Nestled in a lamplit, brick-walled back alley near Camden Town Tube Station, it is about a fifteen-minute walk from King's Cross St. Pancras. The interior is decked out in exquisite all-goth attire; its walls painted black and smattered vibrantly with music artwork, fairy lights sparkling in the dimness, unisex bathroom stalls plastered with band stickers and extremely entertaining graffiti. The downstairs bar is a bustling social hub for metalheads and night-creatures from all walks of life, offering craft beers, shots (including the 'Lucky Sod' Irish liqueur), cocktails, and mocktails.

The Chelsea Inn

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Punk-run community pub with courtyard murals, hosting heavy-metal and punk rock nights.

Slim Jim's Liquor Store

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Masterful Purveyor of Good Times, a late-night rock'n'roll dive bar and grassroots live music venue. LA-style dive bar vibe with neon lights, music posters, red leather bar stools, and booths. Ambiance is electric, with well-worn leather and aged oak. Features an award-winning jukebox loaded with classics from Led Zeppelin to Guns N' Roses. Extensive stock of whiskies (over 90 from around the world), liquor, classic cocktails, and cold craft beer.

PSYCHO Rock & Roll Club

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Intimate bar/club with live gigs and DJ sets spanning rock, punk, garage and post-punk.

The Devonshire Arms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Affectionately known as "The Dev," it is Camden Town's devoted home to the musical underground and one of London's leading goth and metal venues. Features a mock-Tudor façade and a buzzy and dark interior. It's described as a goth pub with serious attitude and a haven for goths and metalheads. A place where lovers of rock, goth, punk, and metal congregate.

Sincopa Bar

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Punk-rock dive famed for vintage décor, mojitos and nightly rock playlists.

Nevermind Bar (Raval)

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Grunge-skate dive with indoor ramp, cheap beers and loud garage-punk soundtracks.

The Mothers' Ruin

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Late-night dive bar with upstairs gig space and downstairs club (RATHOUSE), known for eclectic alternative nights.

The Fighting Cocks

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A rock 'n' roll bar and venue described as small in size but big in attitude. Proudly independent. A haven for the inked, the pierced and the damned. Has a rich musical history dating back to the 1930s (jazz, then rock 'n' roll jam sessions). Features a best jukebox ever, old school arcades, and pool. Offers a huge selection of draft and bottled beers, lavish cocktails, seductive real ales, troublesome shooters and the nuttiest drinks deals in town.

Lucky 13 Saloon

🇺🇸New York, United States

Brooklyn's first dedicated metal bar featuring go-go dancers, live shows and a famed jukebox.

The Library

🇺🇸New York, United States

East Village book-lined punk dive famed for its jukebox and B-movie projector nights.

Blondies

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

An excellent rock'n'roll dive bar with live music founded by Australian sisters Verity, Sharmaine, and Rochelle Cox. A down-and-dirty Mecca for music-lovers with delightfully wonky furnishings reflecting a DIY spirit. Known for insane music and a cultural hub for good vibes, great drinks, and even better company.

Clockwork Bar

🇺🇸New York, United States

Graffiti-laden Lower East Side punk dive famous for cheap beer and loud punk playlists.

The Ranch

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

Eric's

🇬🇧Liverpool, United Kingdom

The Rathskeller

🇺🇸Boston, United States

Kenmore Square cellar that launched The Cars, Pixies, Mission of Burma.

The Roxy Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A seminal punk rock club, considered the first exclusive punk venue in London. Located in a former gay club "Chaguaramas", The Roxy provided a home for the nascent punk scene when mainstream clubs wouldn't touch it. Its most significant period was its "100 nights" from January 1 to April 23, 1977. A "right old dump" with "disgusting toilets," it perfectly captured the raw, DIY ethos of early punk. It was a place where attendees could "be who you wanted to be and no one gave a damn".

Harp Bar

🇬🇧Belfast, United Kingdom

Shibuya Yaneura

🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan

Shinjuku JAM

🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan

The Intrepid Fox

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub with roots dating back to 1784, named after statesman Charles James Fox. Originally at 97-99 Wardour Street, it became a prominent goth and heavy metal venue by the 1970s. Known for its distinctive dark, goth-rock aesthetic, featuring black-painted interiors, a mock graveyard, and other macabre decorations. It was a key meeting point for the goth and metal scenes. After closure in 2006, it reopened at 15 St. Giles High Street (2007-2014) before final closure.

The Pound

🇬🇧Belfast, United Kingdom

The Rock Garden

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Carbono 14

🇧🇷São Paulo, Brazil

Rafters

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

The Channel

🇺🇸Boston, United States

1,700-cap South Boston rock bar where U2, Ramones, Metallica played early tours.

The Ruskin Arms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Vortex

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A key punk club that emerged in July 1977, located at the Crackers discotheque, 203 Wardour Street. It aimed to fill the void as The Roxy faced initial difficulties. Larger than The Roxy, with a more professional setup including a proper stage and sound system. However, it gained a reputation for violence.

Cyprus Tavern

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

CBGB

🇺🇸New York, United States

Situated at 315 Bowery in Manhattan's Lower East Side, CBGB stands as perhaps the most paradoxically influential venue in music history. Opened on December 10, 1973, by Hilly Kristal, the club's name was an acronym for "Country, Bluegrass, Blues," the styles Kristal originally intended to showcase. Yet, the venue became the undisputed "ground zero" for American punk and new wave. The physical space was essential to its legacy—a narrow, deep tunnel-like room with walls layered in decades of flyers, graffiti, and grime. Kristal's management philosophy was revolutionary: bands could play, but they had to perform original music. This rule birthed a scene of unparalleled creativity.

Gorilla Gardens

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

Twin-room punk/metal bar where early Soundgarden, Nirvana and Black Flag shared sticky floors.

The Marquee Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The British equivalent of the Fillmore—a space that did not just host bands but defined entire eras of music. Originally opened in 1958 as a jazz club at 165 Oxford Street, its move to 90 Wardour Street in Soho in 1964 placed it at the physical and cultural center of "Swinging London." The Marquee is where British rock was forged, from the R&B boom through psychedelia to punk and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Uonna Club

🇮🇹Rome, Italy

Via Labicana basement where Litfiba, CCCP and the Italian underground played inches from the bar counter.

The Clarendon Hotel

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A large old pub/hotel complex in Hammersmith that became a legendary music venue. The Clarendon's upstairs Ballroom and downstairs Broadway bar were home to pivotal alternative music events from the late 1970s through 1988. Most famous as the host venue for Klub Foot, the epicenter of London's psychobilly scene throughout the 1980s.

The Masque

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

The Masque was L.A.'s first dedicated punk rock club – a tiny, grungy basement space in Hollywood. Opened by promoter Brendan Mullen in 1977, The Masque quickly became the nucleus of the Los Angeles punk scene. Though its official lifespan was very short, its impact was enormous – virtually every early LA punk band played there or rehearsed there.

The Starwood

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A notorious nightclub and live rock venue on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. The Starwood was active in the mid-to-late 1970s and was a key venue bridging the glam, hard rock, and early punk scenes in L.A. It was known for wild nights and for the criminal exploits of its owner, Eddie Nash, as much as for the music.

The Broken Doll

🇬🇧Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Fforde Grene

🇬🇧Leeds, United Kingdom

The Limit

🇬🇧Sheffield, United Kingdom

Namba Rockets

🇯🇵Osaka, Japan

Radio Londra

🇮🇹Rome, Italy

Trastevere cellar that mixed rock, punk and new-wave long before DJs turned it into a dance hotspot.

Cemento

🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fugazi Music Club

🇵🇱Warsaw, Poland

Brief but mythic squat-style bar that booked early Polish grunge and hardcore; named after the US band.

New Moon

🇫🇷Paris, France

Gritty Pigalle club that launched French punk, cold-wave & early indie acts.

J.C. Dobbs

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

South Street bar that booked Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Green Day pre-fame.

Metropolis

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

All-ages punk bar that broke The Lewd and The Enemy; first to book Black Flag in Seattle.

O'Banion's

🇺🇸Chicago, United States

River North punk bar where Naked Raygun, Ministry & Effigies played their first gigs.

Gold Rush

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Elliston Place dive that fuelled Music City's rock underground and fed generations with "Gold Rush Burgers."

Bookie's Club 870

🇺🇸Detroit, United States

Cass Corridor dive that hosted Iggy Pop, Dead Boys and Detroit's first punk festivals.

Hey Ho! Bar

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Tiny punk/hard-core bar once featuring a mini skate ramp.

The Stonehouse

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Small DIY room charging 50p entry, key to late-70s Bristol punk/new-wave scene.

The Bristol Bridge Inn

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Pub-venue celebrated as a 'gem' of the late-70s alternative scene.

The Green Room

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Intimate alternative venue managed by Les and Rich in late-70s/early-80s.

Peppermint Lounge

🇺🇸New York, United States

Reopened 1960s discotheque as rock-bar in Midtown.

Lismar Lounge

🇺🇸New York, United States

Notorious graffiti-covered punk-metal bar in the East Village.

The Greyhound

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub-turned-rock venue in West London. The Greyhound featured a large backroom music hall that hosted many up-and-coming bands during the crucial Pub Rock and early punk era. It bridged multiple scenes from Irish folk in the 60s, to bluesy pub rock in early 70s, to punk gigs in the late 70s.

Aeroanta

🇧🇷São Paulo, Brazil

Madame Wong's

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

Chinese-restaurant-turned-rock bar that booked The Police, Oingo Boingo and The Go-Go's before they hit arenas.

Al's Bar

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A fabled punk dive bar located in the Arts District of downtown L.A. in the American Hotel. Opened in the late 1970s, Al's Bar became the longest-running punk venue on the West Coast, known for its gritty atmosphere and nurturing of the underground art-punk scene.

Armadillo World Headquarters

🇺🇸Austin, United States

Cosmic-cowboy bar where Willie Nelson met ZZ Top and punk met outlaw country.

Max's Kansas City

🇺🇸New York, United States

A combined restaurant, bar, and music club. Max's Kansas City was the hangout for the glam rock and art crowd in the late '60s and early '70s. Famed for its back-room scene of artists (Warhol's Factory regulars) and rock stars, Max's also had an upstairs music venue where numerous pivotal shows took place.

Bunkr Parukářka

🇨🇿Prague, Czech Republic

Cold-war fallout shelter turned beer-&-rock bunker on Vítkov hill; famous for anarchic concerts and graffiti.

Café Einstein

🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cathay de Grande

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A subterranean punk/New Wave club that operated in the 1980s beneath a Chinese restaurant in Hollywood. The Cathay de Grande was a hotbed for the early hardcore punk scene and the burgeoning alternative rock movement in L.A. Its mix of musical styles and notorious reputation (it was in a sketchy basement) made it both beloved and infamous.

Club Lingerie

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A hip nightclub and live venue on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, active primarily in the 1980s. Club Lingerie was known for an eclectic booking policy – hosting rock, punk, funk, rap, and more. In the '80s music scene, it was a place where up-and-coming local bands and even national acts would play more intimate showcases, and it doubled as a trendy dance club on off-nights.

Coney Island High

🇺🇸New York, United States

A punk rock club on St. Marks Place in the East Village, active in the mid-1990s. Coney Island High was a two-level club (bar downstairs, stage upstairs) that became a center of the NYC punk revival, hosting everything from hardcore matinees to ska and rockabilly nights.