Queercore is a movement of LGBT scenes within Punk Rock, mainly distinguished for its lyrical content expressing the viewpoints of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as promoting queer pride and unity.
The roots of the movement can be traced back to the mid-1980s. In 1985, the original term for the scene, "homocore" (which was later changed to "queercore" to be more diverse and inclusive), was coined by the fanzine J.D.s, founded by G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce. The fanzine sent out a cassette tape called J.D.s Top Ten Homocore Hit Parade Tape in 1990 with one of its issues, which soon prompted a fast-growing scene of queercore bands to pop up. They had also published an article in 1985 called "Don't Be Gay", with its contents attacking both the Hardcore Punk scene the movement grew out of and (at the time) the exclusive gay communities. This rant, republished by another fanzine in 1989 called Maximum RocknRoll, inspired fanzines and labels to pop up, including Chainsaw Records and Outpunk. Coverage of the scene took off when Green Day invited Pansy Division to play with them on their 1994 Dookie tour.
Lyrically, queercore admonishes the homophobia and transphobia of both the hardcore punk scene and society at large. Much like Riot Grrrl, queercore is highly critical of modern concepts of gender roles as well as the exclusive attitudes within the gay community. Common queercore themes also deal with religious and political oppression, queer lifestyles, and an emphasis on the experience of the individual (occasionally referencing the artists' own life experiences).
Although queercore is considered more of a scene than a genre, there is still emphasis on the music, which is a specific offshoot of punk rock. However, it is not limited strictly to punk influences, having borrowed elements from genres such as Industrial & Noise, Indie Rock, No Wave, and Experimental Rock. Representative bands from the genre include Team Dresch, God Is My Co-Pilot, and Tribe 8.
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