 The desperation and the violent reaction of a generation robbed of a safe future are well @-@ represented by the British punk movement of 1977 – 78 , whose rebellion against the establishment continued diluted in the new wave and post @-@ punk music of the 1980s . These self @-@ proclaimed punks were politically militant , relishing their anarchic attitude and stage practices like pogo dancing . They wore short and spiked hairstyles or shaved heads , often with safety pins and ripped clothes and considered musical prowess unimportant as long as the music was simple and loud . However , not all working @-@ class male youths embraced the punk movement ; some preferred to escape from their grim reality in heavy metal , which was equally effective in providing fun , stress relief , and peer companionship – otherwise denied because of their unemployment . 
