no wave
what it is
No Wave was a short-lived but influential art music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City and continued into the 1980s alongside punk subculture. The term No Wave is in part satirical wordplay rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre—a term imported into the New York contemporary art world by Diego Cortez in a show he curated called "New York/New Wave" held at the Institute for Art and Urban Resources (1981). In many ways, No Wave is not a clearly definable musical genre with consistent features.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make no wave a playlist
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✦ nearby genres
questions
What is no wave?
No Wave was a short-lived but influential art music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City and continued into the 1980s alongside punk subculture. The term No Wave is in part satirical wordplay rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre—a term imported into the New York contemporary art world by Diego Cortez in a show he curated called "New York/New Wave" held at the Institute for Art and Urban Resources (1981). In many ways, No Wave is not a clearly definable musical genre with consistent features.
What are good no wave albums to start with?
Try Filth by Swans, Sonic Youth by Sonic Youth, The Ascension by Glenn Branca, and Buy by James Chance & The Contortions.
Who are some women making no wave?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/no-wave/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making no wave, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20