What does punk in steampunk mean?

Question

There's an earlier question about the definition of steampunk, but the answers gloss over the 'punk' part of it, except for vaguely connecting it to cyberpunk. So is there any significance to the 'punk' part, or is it just a buzzword kind of thing?

Answer 1

The -punk in both cyberpunk and steampunk came from the punk in punk music, where punk originally referred to urban, raw, ugly, obnoxious, disillusioned, and disenchanted ~4 member rock bands who literally didn't know how to play their instruments and, subsequently, (post-punk) signified more or less that, but with more "cool" and a bit less "butt-ugly" to it as everyone learned to play and cultivated their image.

Your linked Q&A mentions that K. W. Jeter coined the term steampunk as a sly nod toward cyberpunk. To elaborate on that, people at the time saw Jeter's Dr. Adder as a cyberpunk novel--indeed, more punk (dystopian, urban, raw, and ugly) than most. And The Glass Hammer was even more clearly cyberpunk (i.e. it had a somewhat more explicit connection to computing). So for him to write Infernal Devices and coin the phrase steampunk to describe dystopian, urban, raw, ugly life in the steam age made complete sense.

The next two popular authors who claimed to be writing steampunk were Bruce Sterling and William Gibson. Their dystopian Victorian novel, The Difference Engine, although not as raw or ugly in outlook as Jeter's work, made computing an explicit theme and had a direct connection to cyberpunk in that Sterling and Gibson were both foundational figures in the sub-genre. So the label steampunk there made perfect sense as a pun. And what Sterling and Gibson had really done in cyberpunk was romanticize hacking. Their worlds were dystopic enough that you wouldn't want to live there, but the computer hackers who did were usually very "cool." So whether cyber- or steam-, they were writing technology in a way where you appreciated the machinic, knobbly, wiry, greasy bits for being sort of punk--at least, urban and ugly but still pretty cool.

The publication of The Difference Engine was a big event at the time, because Sterling and Gibson were huge, and that's really the book that--even though it wasn't so great--got the world to think of steampunk as a potential sub-genre itself.

Incidentally, Gibson once mentioned listening to Joy Division over and over while writing Neuromancer, so even though the term cyberpunk originated elsewhere, the -punk wasn't completely inaccurate or imaginary in relation to his work.

So while punk music had a very, very small but direct connection to cyberpunk and an obvious overlap in tone with cyberpunk, the connection to steampunk is a lot thinner, and all the -punk means (if anything) is that the steam age technology in it will be romanticized and cool ... and maybe just a bit gritty.

Answer 2

I believe the word punk is being used in "steampunk" and "cyberpunk" to refer to a dark gritty version of the prefixed "steam" and "cyber" terms. When cyberpunk started it was different from a lot of the science fiction to date because of how dirty and gritty the worlds and people inhabiting them were. That along with a "no future" or bleak future oultook tends to be a big driver in early cyberpunk.

In steampunk what I have seen are people embracing the punk portion with wild ideas that do not follow the norm. In this case "punk" is being used to mean "different" or to identify themselves as outsiders.

Answer 3

While Steampunk as a science fiction/fantasy genre is an outgrowth of cyberpunk, as a social, cultural phenomena it has a strong connection to punk music in its DIY ethos. Steampunk frequently features handcrafted one of a kind creations and/or modifications similarly Punk music culture placed a premium on self-production of music, fashion and fanzines.

Answer 4

From http://forwhomthegearturns.com/steampunk-whatsinaword/

"The “punk” part of the term has to do with the rebellious spirit and a Do-It-Yourself attitude that goes hand in hand with innovation. Early science-fiction writers like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne would have classified themselves as ‘futurists’ because their stories pushed the boundaries of technological innovation and explored new way humans can interact with their environment. The term Steampunk, of course, did not exist until long after stories like The Time Machine and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were already classics, but these authors provided the seeds that would some day branch into a popular genre that includes not only books, graphic novels and movies, but fashion, artwork, and handicrafts.

Answer 5

There are a lot of theories surrounding the punk nature of steampunk. Is it called punk because of its close association with the cyberpunk genre? Or is it called punk because of the do-it-yourself attitude of the people associated with this genre? To answer these questions, it is important to first understand a little bit about the origins of this word and how it was adopted into other alternative cultures and art forms.

Origin of the word punk

The word punk has always been a controversial label ever since it was first used in the 1970s. It was first used as a generic music label to describe anarchic and irreverent bands such as Television, Sex Pistols, The Clash, and many more. Most of the punk bands rejected the mainstream elements associated with 1970s rock and created short and fast-paced music. The songs contained hard-edged melodies and the lyrics usually contained political and anti-establishment themes. Most of the bands would self produce recordings of their work and distribute them independently through individual record labels. This gave rise to the DIY ethics which are associated with this genre. By the late 1970s punk had become famous in the UK and was turning into a cultural phenomenon. People were expressing themselves with distinct types of clothes such as T-shirts with offensive messages written on them, jewelry, spiked or studded jackets, and bands and, harsh and gritty looks.

‘Punk’ in Literature

The first time the word punk was used in literature was by Bruce Bethke when he published a short story called ‘Cyberpunk’. William Gibson later provided definitive elements for this genre in his works called ‘Neuromancer’. In this case, punk worked as a fictional style of combining elements such as gritty, downbeat, low-life punk attitudes with cyberspace, cybernetics, and other futuristic technologies. The recurring theme for cyberpunk usually visualizes a collapse in society, which leads to social disparities and people trying to overthrow the imposing authorities.

The cyberpunk genre has often been seen as the inspiring force for a lot of other genres in the science fiction community. The most common being biopunk, nanopunk, and yes most definitely steampunk. The term was first used by K W Jeter in the late 1980s. K W Jeter was, at the time, a well-known author in the science fiction community and was known for his cyberpunk works such as Dr. Adder, The Glass Hammer, and many more. He coined this term jokingly as he was trying to find a suitable word for some of his works which were based on anachronistic technologies and the Victorian era. He came up with the word steampunk as steam was the main source of power during this era and would perfectly compliment the retrofuturistic theme as had been the case with its futuristic counterpart, cyberpunk.

Even though the word was borrowed from its famous counterpart, cyberpunk, steampunk literature can be traced as far back as1870s and 1890s to the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. These early science fiction novels were considered to be the forerunners in providing the aesthetics associated with this genre that we see today. Other authors such as Michael Moorcock, K W Jeter, Bruce Sterling, etc. increased the visibility of this genre by providing descriptive narrations in their works. ‘The Difference Engine’ by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (1990) is considered by many to be one of the best steampunk novels while providing a lot of rigorous details and having compelling characterization.

Evolution of Steampunk into subcultures

Steampunk is a particularly compelling visual form of fiction that is often set around retrofitted technologies in an industrial era of steam power. Due to in part of its visual appeal and its alternative take on science and technology, steampunk has been one of the popular genres to be translated into other forms of media such as television, films, comic books, video games, etc. This is one of those rare sub-genres of science fiction which also made a footnote in other performative subcultures such as music, fashion, arts and crafts, and gaming.

Nowadays the fanbase of this genre has also moved on from discussing popular literary works to a more cohesive community that discusses arts and crafts, clothing, and other lifestyle choices. Ever since its popularity in the early 2000s, steampunk has attracted people interested in creative arts. Steampunk has one of the largest communities of DIY arts that create some of the most unique and innovative steampunk designs. Some of these designs have a compelling visual appeal and at the same time can also have a function in their daily life.

The steampunk community also consists of people who are fashion enthusiasts and display their extravagant costumes at cosplay and steampunk-themed events. Early fans of steampunk fashion usually hand-made and designed every aspect of their costumes including accessories. Nowadays you can find stores, both online and on land, dedicated to providing the most aesthetically beautiful steampunk clothes and accessories.

So is there a punk in steampunk

Now that we have simplified what punk was all about, we can try to identify the point of intersection between punk and steampunk. Punks usually identify social disparities and are against social norms. Steampunks are also similar in the sense that they recognize the social disparities of the Victorian era and try to reject the social norms of this era. For example, men and women alike adorn amazing steampunk personas of explorers, pirates, air marshals, scientists, vigilantes, etc. This was not the case in the Victorian era where women were usually housewives.

Many steampunk fans also create their own steampunk aliases which they use as a getaway from their everyday lives. These fans not only create personal characters but also have different personality traits when adorning these characters. They use their love for steampunk as a way to break free from the existing social norms and explore the world from a new perspective.

Apart from this steampunks are also well known for tinkering and creating unique designs, sculptures, artwork, etc. They have a diehard DIY attitude towards the existing technologies and their designs range from creating new inventions to redesigning existing technology to suit the steampunk aesthetic.

Even though steampunk may not have the gritty and harsh aesthetics of the punk movement which happened during the 1970s, it certainly captures the essence of the movement in terms of its disregard for social norms and the diehard do-it-yourself attitude.

Source : https://allaboutsteampunk.com/what-is-punk-about-steampunk/