Is there rock after punk?

This symposium essay offers a broad framework within which to interpret the place of rock and roll in the everyday lives of its fans. It uses this framework to analyze the current “crisis” of rock and roll, arguing that the instability of the rock and roll culture is due, on the one hand, to the paradox which punk presented to rock and roll, and on the other hand, to the intersection of events which are currently changing the very significance of “youth” in contemporary culture. The three critical responses and Professor Grossberg's reply that follow this essay hold significant theoretical and methodological implications for the cultural study of all forms of mass communication.