You get a lot of rebellious angst against the political establishment from both sides this day and age. Punk used to be the musical manifestation of this, but that went underground.
Today, country (specifically "bro-country", a despicable trend) is a trending genre in the States. If it can hold up this way for a few more years, the bro-country phase (already dying out) can transition into a more politically-motivated, angsty form of country music unlike anything we seen hit the mainstream before. That is cowpunk. But cowpunk wasn't as political as mainline punk back in its glory days. cowpunk was mainly about working-class Americans letting off steam and ranting/singing about their day-to-day struggles, heartaches, financial strifes, albeit in a less cliched manner than mainstream country. Bands like Jason And The Scorchers, Lone Justice, Social Distortion and the Beat Farmers are prime cowpunk.... will we see this style of music make a comeback of sorts in the post-Trump and Obama disillusionment era? Because the way I see it, millions could be disillusioned with Trump's work by the end of this term, to say the least. So by the start of the 2020s, maybe, will we see this genre emerge into the mainstream?

It was never really a big genre in the first place aside from one or two bands so I have doubts it'll ever reach a spike in popularity any time in the future.

It was never really a big genre in the first place aside from one or two bands so I have doubts it'll ever reach a spike in popularity any time in the future.


Exactly, it never was. But there is always a first and all the ingredients are there for this "cowpunk" genre to boom in popularity in the next few years. You get country music's unprecedented popularity with the youth, near record high distrust in government, a music industry gone stagnant and dormant, but awaiting ferocious eruption, etc.
If cowpunk doesnt make a comeback (or should I say rise in popularity, because it never really was all too popular too begin with), then what do you think will? Hardcore punk? Or something along the lines of glam metal?

There has been a movement in Nashville over the last several years against pop country/bro-country, and I think a lot of it has been spearheaded on the SiriusXM Outlaw Country channel.  I'd say the best current artist in the "cowpunk" vein of which you are referring would have to be Hank Williams III, or Hank 3 as he's more commonly known. He sounds more like his grandfather than his old man, but he started out as a punk rocker and he blends it well with a more traditional country sound. If you like Jason and the Scorchers and the other cowpunk bands you mentioned then I think you'll like Hank 3.

It seems like at times there's been a disconnect between mainstream country radio and the Billboard country album charts. Artists such as Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson (who also won a Grammy for Best Country Album) have topped the Billboard country album charts but country radio won't touch them.

Perhaps the biggest breakthrough from the alt-country/Americana movement would have to be Chris Stapleton, who took off after a duet with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA's.

There has been a movement in Nashville over the last several years against pop country/bro-country, and I think a lot of it has been spearheaded on the SiriusXM Outlaw Country channel.  I'd say the best current artist in the "cowpunk" vein of which you are referring would have to be Hank Williams III, or Hank 3 as he's more commonly known. He sounds more like his grandfather than his old man, but he started out as a punk rocker and he blends it well with a more traditional country sound. If you like Jason and the Scorchers and the other cowpunk bands you mentioned then I think you'll like Hank 3.

It seems like at times there's been a disconnect between mainstream country radio and the Billboard country album charts. Artists such as Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson (who also won a Grammy for Best Country Album) have topped the Billboard country album charts but country radio won't touch them.

Perhaps the biggest breakthrough from the alt-country/Americana movement would have to be Chris Stapleton, who took off after a duet with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA's.


Alt-country seems to be booming big time.
Stapleton and Isbell are both incredible talents, and I am currently rooting at the prospect at bro-country dying a painful death. It defied everything that made country music great, and gave nothing decent in return. When cowpunk defies traditional country boundaries, it does so with grace and passion.

Exactly, it never was. But there is always a first and all the ingredients are there for this "cowpunk" genre to boom in popularity in the next few years. You get country music's unprecedented popularity with the youth, near record high distrust in government, a music industry gone stagnant and dormant, but awaiting ferocious eruption, etc.
If cowpunk doesnt make a comeback (or should I say rise in popularity, because it never really was all too popular too begin with), then what do you think will? Hardcore punk? Or something along the lines of glam metal?


I wouldn't say hardcore punk either because that had even less mainstream acceptance than cowpunk. If you count Crossover punk/metal stuff than bands like DRI got a little bit of MTV exposure during 1989 with their Thrash Zone record, Suicidal had their big Institutionalized video in 1984 and some other punk bands had video showings in MTV in the 80's and 90's but that's about it. Skateboarding had a revival around the 80's and, while hardcore was heavily tied to the culture, it wasn't really about the music alone that got mainstream attention.  We'd need a revival of old school skateboarding if hardcore punk is gonna make any dents in the music world again. I dunno what to say about glam metal. What I could see is maybe a pop punk revival that takes cues either from 1994-era bands like Green Day/Offspring or 1999-era bands like blink-182 and Lit. Maybe even an alternative rock revival that follows more from Husker Du, REM and Dinosaur Jr. It's really hard to say because every once in a while you'll see interest in these older bands start to spark up again only to plateau a week later.