When the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas opened its doors in 2023, onlookers fell into one of two decidedly different camps. Many were excited to celebrate the genre’s unique and fascinating history, while others argued that putting punk in a museum would go against the music’s anti-establishment ways.
After visiting ourselves, we can report that the Punk Rock Museum got it right. This is not a stuffy collection of artifacts, but rather an exciting look at the genre’s unique place in history. So many artists are represented, covering the various generations of punk acts. The museum also put a clear emphasis on the greater punk community – with various countries, races, sexual orientations and gender identities all represented among the sprawling two-story venue.
Some of the rooms have different vibes. There’s a sitting area made to look like a classic early ‘80s living room, its wall decorated with “family albums” – aka personal pictures given to the museum from various musicians. Elsewhere, a corridor is enshrouded with concert fliers and zines, a reflection of punk’s continuing DIY ethos. Still, in many other spaces, the items on display do the talking, with one-of-a-kind artifacts and memorabilia collected from many of punk’s most famous acts.
Corey Irwin, UCR
Some heavy-hitters were behind the Punk Rock Museum’s creation, including MXPX leader Fat Mike, Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. Important members of the punk rock community were involved with every facet of the museum’s creation, ensuring it would be an accurate reflection of the community, rather than some Disney-fied retelling of punk history.
The result is an unfiltered and honest glimpse inside one of rock’s most important sub-genres, and a museum unlike any other we’ve been to. Here are the 10 coolest things we saw during our visit.
