The 1950s brought the protest music of the Civil Rights. "We Shall Overcome" was a song that everyone knew and many sang out as a way to stand up against discrimination and segregation.



The 1960s and early 1970s belonged to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and countless others who were opposed to the discrimination of African-Americans, encouraged the protection of the environment, supported women's rights to everything, and shunned the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War--a needless war.

By 1975, protest music took on a different sound, though the messages remained largely the same. 1975 was the year disco took off, and not long after, the first wave of punk hit.



In the 80's, the second wave of punk(and ska) exploded, and hardcore punk appeared for the first time. The metal and glam-rock scenes exploded as well and many of the bands from these movements wrote songs protesting various things.



In the early ninties, hip-hop became popular, and a few of these bands and/or singers put their efforts towards writing political songs. The mid-ninties saw the third wave of ska and punk, which is still around in 2005.