Hardcore Punk is a musical subgenre derived from Punk Rock, which originated in North America and the United Kingdom in the early 1980s.

It is characterized for being the evolution of the most energetic aspects of Punk Rock; the tempos and measures are fast, with fast and aggressive drum rhythms, the guitar lines are executed quickly and with few arrangements, amplified with a distortion sound, the bass usually makes the same note of the guitar chord (without scales, occasionally with octaves), the voice is almost shouted, fast and the songs are usually short, usually lasting between one to two minutes.

Hardcore Punk has been as influential as Punk Rock, having a huge number of subgenres both popular and "underground". Among these are Post-Hardcore, Anarcho-Punk, Crust Punk, Melodic Hardcore, New York Hardcore, Emocore (also known as Emotional Hardcore), Japanese Hardcore, Digital Hardcore, and others.

The earliest and most influential albums of this genre are:

• Bad Brains by the band of the same name
• Plastic Surgery Disasters by Dead Kennedys
• Damaged by Black Flag
• Milo Goes To College by Descendents
• Minor Threat by the band of the same name
• Group Sex by Circle Jerks
• Adolescents by the band of the same name
• Vicious Circle by Zero Boys
• Millions Of Dead Cops by MDC