Psychobilly is probably one of the most interesting niche genres of punk rock music that is of note. The music is characterized by a very 60s Surf Rock inspired guitar sound, fused with Rockabilly and Punk Rock (but more often than not, bands in this genre tend to look to early punk bands such as The Buzzcocks and The Ramones as sound influences rather than more contemporary or hardcore punk) and 50s Rock'n Roll sensibilities. Many bands in this genre use standup bass rather than typical bass guitar to provide rhythm. The lyrical content in a typical psychobilly song tends to be inspired by horror and sci-fi B-Movies of the 1950s and 60s, sometimes mixed in with Silly Love Songs and a very cynical outlook on other topics.
The fanbase for psychobilly tends to overlap heavily with Goth Rock and Horror Punk, due to shared affinity for horror movie themes.
Bands/Artists considered or associated with Psychobilly
- Assjack
- Big John Bates
- The Brains
- The Cramps (Ur-Example)
- The Creepshow
- Demented Are Go
- Devils Brigade
- Dexter Romweber: He is a Trope Codifier for the genre known for leading seminal bands such as:
- Dexter Romweber Duo
- Flat Duo Jets
- The Fireballs
- The 5.6.7.8's
- The Flesh Eaters
- The Fleshtones
- The Frogs
- The Gun Club (Trope Codifier)
- Hasil Adkins (Ur-Example)
- Unknown Hinson
- Horrorpops
- Legendary Shack Shakers
- The Meteors (Trope Maker)
- The Misfits (Trope Maker)
- Mojo Nixon
- Nekromantix
- Rezurex
- Stellar Corpses
- The Plugz
- The Polecats
- Tiger Army
- Tsunami Bomb
- The Reverend Horton Heat
- Volbeat
- Jack White: Although he has never been placed within this genre, his musical style has similarities to some of the idiosyncracies of the genre (For instance, his use of the Blues scale). And it doesn't hurt that he has mentioned influence from Dexter Romweber.
- Hank Williams III
- X (US Band) (Trope Maker)
- Zombie Ghost Train
