u/cletoroc

I genuinely think a lot of people in modern hardcore have completely lost touch with where this music and scene came from.
Hardcore did not emerge from conservative ideology. It didn’t come from nationalism, authoritarianism, blind patriotism, billionaire worship, or “law and order” politics. Hardcore came directly out of punk and punk, historically, has always been rooted in anti-authoritarianism, anti-fascism, anti-racism, skepticism of capitalism, and resistance against systems of power that crush marginalized people.
That doesn’t mean every punk or hardcore kid throughout history has personally lived up to those ideals. Obviously there have always been people more interested in aggression, image, or scene politics than the actual message. But the actual ideological roots of the culture are not hard to trace.
Bands were writing songs about police brutality, war, Reagan-era conservatism, racism, greed, consumerism, homophobia, and fascist violence decades ago. DIY culture itself was built as a rejection of corporate control and mainstream power structures. The scene was supposed to challenge authority — not worship it.
So yeah, it’s genuinely bizarre watching people try to force pro-Trump, right-wing authoritarian politics into hardcore while acting like everyone else is “making it political.” The culture was already political. It always has been.
And before somebody jumps in with “so you can’t be conservative and like hardcore?” Obviously nobody can stop you from listening to the music. But if your worldview revolves around hierarchy, nationalism, hostility toward minorities, worship of wealth and power, or defending authoritarian politicians, then you are fundamentally at odds with the core values that shaped punk and hardcore culture in the first place.
Also, rejecting fascist ideology is not the same thing as being intolerant. The whole “you’re no better than Nazis if you hate Nazis” argument completely ignores the fact that fascism itself is built around domination, exclusion, and stripping rights from other people. Refusing to tolerate that is not hypocrisy.
Hardcore was never supposed to be safe, comfortable, or politically neutral. It was supposed to confront oppressive bullshit directly.

And wow, I don’t think I like it nearly as much as Cold War. Another thread someone asked which one between 6 and 7 should they get they mentioned they were in love with Cold War, and everyone said 7. Jeez I feel like made a huge mistake.

(Random story I felt like sharing. Probably not worth reading unless you’re bored and have nothing better to do than to read a story about some dudes journey with music)

Growing up, I was really into metal, doom, death, and thrash because I sort of grew up around it. My mom was into it, her cousins were in bands, my dad was really into anything extreme. My dad told me the night I was likely conceived, they had just gotten back from seeing Candlemass during their first time in the US, with Hobb’s Angel of Death playing on the stereo.
So metal was just sort of a given. So growing up heavily into death metal, but pretty much all the 90’s stuff my mom was listening to as well, such as Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Weezer, Hole, Fiona Apple, etc etc.

By the time I got to middle school, my mom had already passed away, dad was long since out of the picture (he didn’t even know anything about me til I was 27 and I showed up at his doorstep. But I digress, back to 13 year old me.) and I was sort of getting into hip hop. Then I ended up moving in with my grandma, where I really started getting into older punk bands like the Misfits, Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, etc. but I was also really into black metal at the time, I think it was right around the time I first heard Progenies of the Great Apocalypse.
Then i think my cousin showed me AFI, Sing the Sorrow. And there were some skater kids in the new school I was going to who I’d seen wearing AFI tshirts. So I got into that album. By high school I entered the foster care system and a lot of weird sheltering took place. I wasn’t allowed to do anything I used to really like, listen to the music I really liked. They pretty much controlled everything I did. Bounced around a few different foster homes. A buddy of mine in 9th grade was into Cradle of Filth, and Dimmu Borgir, HIM, and Jobforacowboy, so naturally he and I got along well because his interests were sort of all over like mine were. An upper classman whom I rode the school bus with who would always let me plug my headphones into an adapter so we could both listen to music on his iPod, and he got me into Children of Bodom.
Switched schools again after 2 years (first year I failed because I just didn’t do any of my schoolwork), and there was like no one into anything remotely cool. Swear my 10th grade classmates were into high school musical. Needless to say I didn’t even want to fit in. By 18, I left the foster care system. Moved back in with my grandma and I became a complete shut-in. I ended up dropping out of school because I just didn’t wanna go to high school with any of the kids I went to middle school with.

By my 20’s I started going to shows here and there because my buddy from 9th grade was in local bands. So I would go and support. But shit still sucked because I never had a car, always needed a ride or tried taking the bus. And it just sucked. I also developed social anxiety. I felt very out of my element, very out of place. And even my 9th grade friend and I just sort of drifted. Never any sort of malice or anything. I just wasn’t really on the same path and musically we were into very different stuff.
I think I was a victim of the time period because I was into shit like Bring Me The Horizon (which I was originally very against til I started fucking with them) and other metalcore bands that looking back make me cringe.

I started getting into post-hardcore bands like Touché Amoré, La Dispute, and Pianos Become the Teeth, which lead me into Midwest emo. Then eventually like a full circle moment, older bands like saetia, pg.99.
I only ever got into a few hardcore bands like Cold World, Terror, and Hoods. But lately I’ve been listening to Merauder and Mindforce. Definitely like both of them a lot. And maybe it’s because they both have that metallic/thrash crossover style.
I like 200 Stab Wounds probably for the same reason. Death metal with a lil hardcore style riffage going on.

By the way I’m terrible at telling stories. Decided to assemble a pizza and I don’t really feel like typing more. 🤷🏻‍♂️