| The Punk Rock Museum | |
| Native Name Lang: | eng |
| Location: | 1422 Western Ave, Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
| Founder: | "Fat Mike" Burkett Pat Smear |
The Punk Rock Museum is a 12,000-square-foot space dedicated to the punk rock music genre, which opened on April 1, 2023.[1] Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the museum was founded by "Fat Mike" Burkett of the band NOFX, and developed by Burkett and production manager Lisa Brownlee.[2] It is governed by a ten-person collective of musicians and museum investors including Burkett, co-founder Pat Smear (The Germs), and skateboarder Tony Hawk.[3]
The museum houses more than 1,000 artifacts documenting the history of the punk rock music genre from its birth to the present day.[4] The exhibits, contributions by bands and members of the worldwide punk community, include fliers, artwork, clothing, and instruments used in recordings and on tours by notable punk musicians.[5] Prominent features include molds for the signature helmets of Devo and a photograph of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain sitting on a couch, with the accompanying couch.[1] Founder Burkett has stated the museum is planned as all-inclusive, inviting punk musicians globally to submit memorabilia, stating "We'll let anybody into our world unless you're really annoying. Or a rock star. You can't act like a rock star, because then you get kicked out."[2] As of 2023, guided tours are offered by punk musicians themselves, including members of The Vandals, Social Distortion, and Less Than Jake.[6] [5] The museum plans to create travelling exhibitions of its collection in the future.[2]
Housed inside the museum is The Triple Down,[7] a dive bar; The Jam Room, a room with donated musical instruments for visitors to utilize; and a chapel offered for weddings and wakes.[1] There is also the Wall of Insignificant and Unknown Bands, where punk bands of any background are invited to post their band fliers.[6]