[noctuary]

List 'em.

1. The Misfits. No explanation needed here.
2. The Ramones. None here either.
3. TSOL. "Code Blue." Enough said.
4. The Buzzcocks. Pop-punk may very well not exist if it wasn't for these guys. Awesome.
5. The Germs. Amateurish instrumentation and a drug-addled singer. It's what punk is all about! Seriously though, Darby Crash was a brilliant lyricist. Many of his lyrics wouldn't be out of place in an anthology of symbolist poetry.
6. X. Invented rockabilly/punk crossover. Billy Zoom and DJ Bonebrake are some of the best musicians to play in punk rock. Warning: as good as early X is, everything after Under the Big Black Sun is complete and total shit.
7. The Damned. "New Rose" will go down in history as the PERFECT punk song. Hasn't been surpassed since.
8. Rudimentary Peni. The early political stuff is not that good, but after Death Church, Nick Blinko went insane and started writing all of his lyrics about Cthulhu and other assorted weirdness. Seriously, he was institutionalized for a long time.
9. Christian Death. Early punk/goth crossover. Excellent stuff, but avoid anything with Valor as the lead singer instead of Rozz Williams.
10. Wire. Punk meets art and has messy sex.

Your turn, fellow forum denizens.