Punk began in the summer of 1976, compared to other genres of music punk was really radical and rebelious. The first release was "New Rose" by the Damned, followed swiftly by the Sex Pistols "Anarchy in the UK". Punk was like a ground zero detonation it swept everything forward. London was swamped with gigs there was something on every night of the week. Also it was being torn between gigs on offer at the weekend. The Kensington rooms, music machine, Dingwalls, The Roxy, Electric ballroom all rocked with the sounds of Punk and New Wave. Complimented by reggae.
Punk went through a change and became New Wave, this in turn exported to the States and morphed into "Pop Punk". It attached itself to the American Skateboard scene.
Ska
2-tone was the punk version of ska, it featured London and Coventry based bands, like The Specials, The Selector, Madness, Bad Manners and Birmingham based The Beat. This style of sound also exported to the USA. Where it got faster and more manic. America has a healthy Punk and Ska scene today.