Hardcore’s return to the cultural spotlight is no accident. What has always made this “scene” electrifying is the ability to shift, evolve, and keep its honesty and connetion to local communities, while keeping its soul intact. At IDIOTEQ, we’ve always admired how hardcore defies definition, balancing its chaotic multidimensionality with a firm DIY backbone. Whether it’s melodic singalongs, tough guy slam dancing, vulnerable emo screamo, or metallic beatdowns, hardcore has never been just one thing, and that’s exactly why it’s thriving again.
In the newest video from Youtuber Coolea, he argues that the genre’s resurgence isn’t just about nostalgia or a catchy breakdown. It’s about hardcore’s unique ability to be two things at once: fiercely loyal to its DIY roots while constantly bending its sound, ethos, and even its audience.
Hardcore has always been this living paradox.
It began as an answer to punk’s corporate creep in the ’80s—a place where bands like BLACK FLAG and MINOR THREAT could be fast, aggressive, and entirely self-reliant. It had no room for polish, no patience for compromise.
Yet from day one, it was also a space for evolution. BAD BRAINS brought positivity into the aggression; thrash and metal turned riffs into weapons; and straight-edge crews like SSD redefined rebellion. Hardcore didn’t stay pure—it splintered and thrived in the chaos.
The Gatekeeping
What’s always been fascinating—and infuriating—is how hardcore’s devotion to its identity bred gatekeeping. Coolea acknowledges the irony: a genre that started as a refuge for outcasts developed its own borders.
From ’80s skinhead violence, 90s hard line straight edge warriors, to today’s snapback-clad keyboard warriors, the scene has always had people who wanted to keep it small, tough, and unwelcoming.
The web
You can credit the rise of the internet for the genre’s current explosion. It shattered hardcore’s local scenes and gave it a global audience. Through early 00s post hardcore boost, MySpace era, all the way to modern days where bands like TURNSTILE and KNOCKED LOOSE brought new fans into the fold (back in May 2024, KNOCKED LOOSE grabbed headlines by charting higher than Taylor Swift on Spotify’s Viral 50 US Chart).
Some may argue that also redefined what hardcore could sound like—riffs that are heavier, grooves that are bouncier, venues and festivals are bigger, and crowds that are more diverse than ever.
Yet the ethos stayed intact. Hardcore is something you experience. A TikTok clip of a breakdown might catch your attention, but it’s a sweat-drenched, bruised-knee show that will make you stay. But what we always felt was the genre’s backbone is the way hardcore builds connections between people.
The real hardcore
Beyond the riffs, the breakdowns, or even the gatekeeping arguments, hardcore at its core has always been about helping each other out and organizing to change things for the better.
It’s about showing up for your friends, addressing big issues head-on, and carrying worthy values into real life. Whether it’s environmental awareness, celebrating diversity, or organizing local communities to push for change, hardcore is at its best when it’s more than music.
Without that element of action, of living the ethos every day, hardcore risks losing what made it matter in the first place. After all, punk—messy, rebellious, and unapologetically political—was the original heartbeat of this scene, and it’s what keeps hardcore alive as more than just a genre. It’s a way to imagine a better world and fight for it, one sweaty, chaotic show at a time.
What may make this current hardcore era different is how naturally hardcore has embraced diversity. Bands like ZULU and SCOWL don’t just carry the torch and expand the sound; they expand the stories being told. The scene has moved beyond its roots as a white, male-dominated space, and it’s better for it.
Now it seems that we wrestle with hardcore’s move toward mainstream recognition. TURNSTILE playing huge festivals? KNOCKED LOOSE at Coachella? Earning their first-ever Grammy nomination? Showcasing their live energy on Jimmy Kimmel Live!? CODE ORANGE no longer being KIDS, playing tour with SLIPKNOT? It’s a far cry from the basements and VFW halls of old, but one could argue that the core hasn’t been lost. The same crowd energy, the same relentless work ethic, the same unpolished spirit—it’s still there, even if the stages are bigger.
Check out the full narrative from Coolea in the video below and feel free to share your thoughts via our socials.
