Suggestions
Suggestions
Straight edge grew inside the early Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene as a movement built around abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. Its music remained rooted in hardcore, with later bands adding melodic and metallic elements as the movement developed its own scenes and communities.
The name came from Minor Threat’s song “Straight Edge” and Ian MacKaye’s personal position. Those ideas spread through the hardcore underground and became a wider subculture. Later generations brought vegetarianism and veganism into parts of straight edge, while lyrics also addressed animal rights, civil rights and other political issues. Other participants kept the commitment focused on sobriety and individual choice.
IDIOTEQ documents those differences through bands in several scenes. Philadelphia’s Trashxstrike talk about an adult version of straight edge without judging people who make other choices. Manila band Figure Out place it inside the Philippines hardcore scene. UK-based xapothecaryx connect vegan straight edge with animal experimentation, addiction and state violence.
Age and geography change the perspective too. Den Bosch teenagers No Way show another generation picking the idea up. TRUExFEELING connect it with the Balkan hardcore network, and Portland’s Enact bring representation and Chicana identity into the conversation.
Across IDIOTEQ, straight edge appears through youth crew, vegan straight edge, melodic hardcore and heavier hardcore, with the recurring question of how each local scene defines the commitment in practice.