Fake punk is a poppy, watered down version of punk rock. Ramones would be classified more accurately as a sort of proto-punk group, with the Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys being prime examples of REAL punk. Fake punk sounds too clean, neat, and overproduced. The singing is typically whiny and pre-pubescent. The songs are generally sickeningly melodic and the lyrics are trite. At it's worst, fake punk is a bunch of teenagers clad in Hot Topic singing about their girlfriend's, at it's most tolerable (yet still unbearable) fake punk features pseudo-political lyrics written obviously by someone who took a "social issues" class in highschool.

The people of fake punk rock, the fake punks themselves, make it more than obvious that they put alot of thought and effort into conforming to a certain standard, and totally contradict their supposed belief in non-conformity by wearing a uniform. Arguably, even "real punks" with mohawks and homemade clothes are still fake, because they too are trying to conform despite their supposed non-conformist lifestyle. In the purest form, a true blue punk would walk around wearing a tshirt and jeans or sweat pants or WHATEVER because the essence of the punk aesthetic is not giving a FUCK about what you look like or what other people think. Thus a true punk appreciates everything about punk rock and doesn't waste his time getting dressed up in a costume to be cool.