First forged in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Heartland Rock displays poetic, socially-conscious lyrics very much rooted in Americana. Themes of teenage nostalgia, isolation, and small-town decline are prevalent—but there is a feeling of optimism as well, often told through the eyes of the white working-class of America's mid-West.

Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music—typically producing short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and stripped-down instrumentation, and lyrical themes that challenge authoritarianism and the establishment.