1988 THE NEW WAVE PUNK ROCK EXPLOSION

1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion
by Caroline Coon

A raw and immediate chronicle of the movement that detonated across Britain and beyond.

First published at the height of the chaos, 1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion captures punk not as nostalgia, but as a living rupture — loud, confrontational, and politically charged. Written by journalist and activist Caroline Coon, one of the earliest and most perceptive observers of the scene, the book documents the bands, the style, the riots, and the cultural shockwaves that reshaped music and youth identity in the late 1970s.

Featuring iconic imagery — including the unmistakable face of Johnny Rotten on the cover — this volume moves through the rise of the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and the wider underground explosion that redefined British culture. Coon writes from inside the storm, blending reportage, cultural criticism, and firsthand insight into the anger and urgency that fueled punk’s new wave.

More than a music book, this is a document of rebellion — a snapshot of a moment when fashion, politics, and sound collided.