Crust punk is the extreme evolution of hardcore punk. The genre might be considered hard to listen to and very abrasive, using elements of
anarcho-punk and grindcore to create a unique sound that can either be fast and leaning
to grindcore, or slow and mopey and/or melodic. It was originally called stenchcore. Although not the same genre, crust is closely related to d-beat, black metal, anarcho-punk,
thrashcore and grindcore.
Lyrics to crust songs tend to be dark, and based around politics and current events and even some human emotion; topics such as nuclear destruction, environmentalism, racial equality, squatting/non-conformity, apocalypse, abolishing sexism, animal rights, veganism/vegetarianism, religious control, death (and/or escaping life) and anarchism are common. Crust is one of the darkest subgenres of punk, and also is one of the least recognizable as punk, in terms of sound. Elements of the crust sound can be heard in many
Anarcho-punk bands, such as those signed to Profane Existence, Mortarhate Records, Havoc Records, & Life is Abuse Records.
Many consider the band Amebix to be the godfathers of
crust punk, and consider the Arise! LP to be the first known defining crust punk album. The band Deviated Instinct, who actually coined the term "crust punk", was one of the first bands to play the genre as it commonly recognized today.
Listeners of crust punk music are often referred to as crusties