Okay, put the punk thing aside for a minute.  I was 9 in 1985, when this movie is supposed to have happened.  For me at that time, "Punk" just meant that you had a weird haircut and strange clothes.  Certainly I  now have a better understanding of what that was all about -- but really,  that has very little to do with this film.  SLC Punk is less about blue  mohawks, safety pins and shock value than you might think.  This movie  makes social and political statements that transcend "Punk."