Released in 1976, Ramones is considered the album that established the punk rock movement. The album's simple, striped down rock songs helped bring the genre back down to earth after it had become bloated and pretentious. The music on the album is fast-paced and energetic, with darkly humorous lyrics that touched on violence, drug use, and Nazism. Although it was commercially unsuccessful, Ramones received glowing reviews from critics and was a hugely influential punk rock album that inspired countless bands in a wide range of genres.
