- What are now considered punk hairstyles first began appearing in the late 1970s and early 1980s, concurrent with the fledgling punk-rock music scene. East Coast hot spots such as New York, Washington D.C. and Boston were early breeding grounds of the new fashions.
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While the mohawk hairstyle is often the image conjured by the mention of punk rock, the range of hairstyles is in fact immense. Other common styles are the completely shaved head, the "devil-lock," which consists of pulling the hair up and forward to hang down in front of the face, and nearly any other variation of shaving portions of the head.
- Punk hairstyles and multicolored hair are often used to set the wearer apart from nonpunks and the rest of society at large. Bright blue or green hair or a wildly bizarre hairstyle can illustrate the wearer's rejection of societal norms.
- Within the punk community, various hairstyles can be used to give an idea of what musical styles the wearer is interested in as well as what groups he might align himself with. Fans of psychobilly often sport pompadours; bald heads usually signify fans of hardcore, and the aforementioned devil-lock suits many horror-punk fans to this day.
- Due to their low-budget roots, punk hairstyles and colors are often created using less conventional methods. Hair may be colored with any number of dyes, as well as magic markers and paint. The elaborate spikes featured in many hairstyles can be created using gels, sprays, glue or even egg whites.
