The Best Punk Drummers Of All Time Ranked

Musically, punk rock tends to adopt simple structures and straightforward instrumentation, usually this means a verse-chorus structure and a 4/4 time signature. Influenced heavily by underground and alternative rock scenes, there is an emphasis on distortion. Vocals are often abrasive or nasally and heavier variants involve shouting or screaming lyrics. Punk rock is closely associated with an anti-establishment, anti-dogma philosophy. Politically, many punk artists and listeners were anarchists or socialists, though certain aspects were linked with far-right groups too. Various different styles or sub-genres exist within punk rock. Initially, the genre was dominated by “high punk” or “classical punk” artists who had aggressive, loud and fast records. Later developments saw the rise of “melodic punk” which retained many punk characteristics but was softened somewhat and “alternative punk” which was a mixture of the two aforementioned forms. In addition, there are several fusion genres, such as “ska punk” and “electro-punk” as a result of punk mixing with other musical styles. Here are all of The Best Punk Drummers Of All Time ranked.

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20. Rat Scabies

“Rat Scabies was the wildest punk drummer, sticking his drumsticks up is now and look like a rat with huges teeth. An unpredictable and wild drummer who did all sorts of different things throughout his career. A real punk! When you listen to what he was doing in 76, no one drummed like him. In 1976, the Damned was the fastest rock band in the world.

19. Dave Raun

“I personally think Dave Raun is one of the best rock drummers, any sub-genre. He’s a monster powerhouse, with metronomic timing, and tons of amazing fills. He just makes music fun. Dave is awesome, a beast and very skilled.”

18. Erik Smelly Sandin

“He is not virtuoso like Brooks Wackerman and I think even he would agree but having seen him recently I can vouch for his speed and timekeeping and to put the two together consistently on a single bass drum is amazing. Nofx is the one of the most inspirational bands in the punk genre and smelly is a contributor to that, his speed and kicks are mind blowing.”

17. Brooks Wackerman

“Not only is he a great punk drummer who can achieve lighting fast single bass speed, but he also has some amazing fills and can play practically any genre of music. The man is a master of his craft. The man is amazing both live and in studio. he’s done tons of session work for other bands too, just mind blowing.”

16. Mike Fuentes

“Mike is one of the best drummers of this era, the amount of passion he plays with, his speed, stamina, and especially his insane bass drum power and speed. If you’ve ever heard any Pierce The Veil song, you’d be able to tell just by hearing his playing that he is one of a kind.”

15. Ron Welty

“HE IS THE BEST! OFFSPRING IS THE BEST! He isn’t with the band anymore but he needs more credit because he is amazing! Love what he did in songs like come out and play, genocide, and gone away. Such an underrated drummer! He’s a human metronome.”

14. Stev-o

“Being a big Punk Rock fan and a drummer, I’ve played to many of these drummer’s beats and by far enjoy Jocz’s the most. His personality is also great and fits in with the rest of the members of the greatest band in the world. Sum 41 is the best band and this band wouldn’t be good without Steve o he is a amazing drummer he is really funny sometimes.”

13. Joey Jordison

“Joey Jordison, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the former drummer and co-songwriter for the heavy metal band Slipknot as well as guitarist in the Horror-punk band Murderdolls.”

12. Pat McGrath

“Played for FEAR, Slayer, Amerikan Made, Saosin, Prototype, and a host of others. Capable of a wide range of music in a wide range of styles! Pat not only plays punk, but can rip up metal, funk, soul, rock you name it. Pat is a man of all styles. Don’t let the long hair fool ya!”

11. Pete Parada

“Technically the best offspring drummer out of them all, Power, Speed, Energy, charisma.
He is brutally underrated and deserves a lot of respect, even his work with Saves the day, Face to face etc..His variation of style and speeds makes him versatile with any style of music. His drumming doesn’t lose quality whether it be playing fast or slow, definitely up there with the best.”

10. Earl Hudson

“This guy shaped punk drumming so much that it bled into grunge and other genres. Bad brains are legends. Come on this guy was good…very good..perfect timing…stop..start then full on…he could swap easily between thrash, hard rock and reggae etc in a mini second…deserves more recognition…”

9. Topper Headon

“One of the steadiest drummers of all time, there is a reason that they called him the human metronome! This guy could play anything on drums, from jazz to punk and more. Even Terry Chimes (Toppers replacement) said “Nick Headon is the best drummer around.”

8. Josh Freese

“Josh Freese along with Brooks Wackerman are simply the best drummers in punk at the current time and this comes from a drummer so apart from the speed I also appreciate the finnesse of these drummers. The work Josh Freese did with The Offspring can not never be underestimated. If you do not believe me listen to Wish by Nine Inch Nails. All good stuff and as laChoquette says who would not want him in their band. His work with The Vandals is legendary, and is how he made his name. It is the backbeat of his career”

7. Arthur Googy

“Googy was the longest-running drummer of the band’s original era, spanning the years 1980 – 1982, and was present during the “Master Sound Productions Sessions” that led to the Walk Among Us album. He would tour with the band in several infamous shows, many of which ended up on highly sought-after bootlegs.”

6. Bill Stevenson

“Bill Stevenson is well known for offering two raging backbeats for two strains of SoCal punk. First, the drummer became famous at an early age of 14 years when he co-founded Descendents in 1977. This was one of his major successes, which would become the turning moment for his life.”

5. Paul Cook

“This the main dude when it comes to punk drumming, solid, loud and created some amazing beats. He was just as revolutionary as the Sex Pistols themselves, He also was a proper heavy hitter. Compared to a lot of tappers back then. Love watching him play live the real backbone and driver of the Sex Pistols. Love this dude.”

4. Tommy Ramone

“Any time you hear a punk band tearing through a three-minute jam, the drummer in the back is likely echoing a no-nonsense beat that Tommy helped codify. If you’ve ever sung along to the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,” you’re repeating lines that Tommy wrote.”

3. Marky Ramone

“Marky Ramone held the longest tenure with the legendary punk pioneers, appearing on eight studio albums and several live discs, while also globetrotting with the band up until their final show on August 7, 1997. Marky’s been a catalyst behind various Ramones compilation CDs as well as the documentary DVD Raw, which was created from the drummer’s personal camcorder footage.”

2. Travis Barker

“Travis Barker is good although he acts like a bit of a fool when it comes to drumming he is no fool. Listen to Feeling This those 16 note bass drum patterns are a homage to John Bonham and very nicely done. Think Good Times, Bad Times. He also knows his marching snare patterns but once again not virtuoso like Brooks Wackerman but more than just a solid drummer, one with technique in both hands and feet but just outside that top tier along with Tre Cool. Top tier are people like Brooks Wackerman as mentioned and Thomas Pridgen who has played with Suicidal Tendencies. Seriously good.”

1. Tre Cool

“Tre Cool is a good solid drummer but he is far from the best drummer. He keeps good time but he will tell you himself “I tend to have the same quiver of licks I can throw into everything.” Tre is a self taught drummer who is limited technically but that does not matter that much as Green Day are limited too so Tre is perfect. This is simple straight ahead 4/4 punk rock. He has power and energy but he keeps it simple.”