1978
- Bands formed
- Angry Samoans
- The Beat
- Charged GBH
- Cardiac Kidz
- Dead Kennedys
- Dangerous Rhythm
- Descendents
- D.O.A.
- Fatal Microbes
- The Go-Go's
- Hüsker Dü
- Middle Class
- Nervous Gender
- Optics
- Peter and the Test Tube Babies
- The Plasmatics
- Public Image Ltd (PiL)
- The Ruts
- The Scientists (Coming out of "The Invaders")
- Vice Squad
- The Weirdos
- Albums
- The Adverts - Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts
- Alternative TV - The Image Has Cracked
- Alternative TV - Vibing Up the Senile Man
- The Avengers - Avengers (EP)
- Big in Japan - From Y to Z and Never Again (EP)
- Black Flag - Nervous Breakdown(EP)
- Blondie - Parallel Lines
- The B-52's - The B-52's
- The Boomtown Rats - A Tonic For The Troops
- Buzzcocks - Another Music in a Different Kitchen
- Cherry Vanilla - Bad Girl
- The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope
- The Cortinas - True Romances
- Wayne County and the Electric Chairs - Wayne County and the Electric Chairs
- The Dickies - The Incredible Shrinking Dickies
- Crass - The Feeding of the Five Thousand
- Dead Boys - We Have Come for Your Children
- Desperate Bicycles - New Cross New Cross (EP)
- Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
- Devo - Be Stiff EP
- Dictators - Bloodbrothers
- Eater - Get Your Yo Yos Out (EP)
- Elvis Costello and the Attractions - This Year's Model
- Generation X - Generation X
- Jilted John - True Love Stories
- The Jolt - The Jolt
- Live Stiffs Live
- London - Animal Games
- The Lurkers - Fulham Fallout
- The Misfits - Static Age
- Johnny Moped - Cycledelic
- No New York
- Penetration - Moving Targets
- Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
- Public Image Ltd - Public Image (a.k.a. First Issue)
- Ramones - Road to Ruin
- The Rezillos - Can't Stand the Rezillos
- The Rich Kids - Ghosts Of Princes In Towers
- The Saints - Eternally Yours
- Sham 69 - Tell Us the Truth
- Sham 69 - That's Life
- Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
- Slaughter and the Dogs - Do It Dog Style
- The Stranglers- Black and White
- The Suicide Commandos - Make A Record
- Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
- Television - Adventure
- Television Personalities - Where's Bill Grundy Now? (EP)
- Throbbing Gristle - D.o.A. The Third And Final Report
- The Vibrators - "Pure Mania"
- Wire - Chairs Missing
- Wreckless Eric - Wreckless Eric
- Wreckless Eric - The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric
- X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents
- Disbandments
- Dead Boys
- Johnny Moped
- Sex Pistols
- The Suicide Commandos
- Ultravox! (they dropped the exclamation mark, becoming Ultravox)
- Television
- Events
- SST Records is formed when Black Flag guitarist/founder Greg Ginn needs an outlet to release his band's music.
- The Sex Pistols' disastrous US tour ends on January 14 after Johnny Rotten walks off stage at their Winterland concert in San Francisco, famously uttering "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
- Colin Brunton films The Last Pogo in Toronto featuring local bands, signaling the end of the original first-wave, featuring bands The Scenics, Cardboard Brains, The Secrets, The Mods, The Ugly, The Viletones, and Teenage Head. The show ends in a riot.
- Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious is charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen who was found dead on the morning of October 12, 1978 at New York's Hotel Chelsea.
- The Boomtown Rats have the first official UK number one single by a punk/new wave band.
- Rough Trade Records, a music store opened in 1976 in London begins working as a record label and signs almost exclusively punk inspired bands.
- Film director Derek Jarman releases the cult punk-themed film Jubilee, featuring Adam Ant, Toyah Willcox, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Malcolm McLaren protégé and early punk fashionista, Jordan.
- Blondie achieve worldwide success with their third album, Parallel Lines, mixing the style of 1960s vocal pop and garage and the energy of punk rock. Debbie Harry becomes an icon for the younger generations.
Read more about this topic: Timeline Of Punk Rock