The district is an important center for
indie culture and music in the United States. The DC-based label
Dischord Records, formed by
Ian MacKaye, frontman of
Fugazi, was one of the most crucial independent labels in the genesis of 1980s punk and eventually indie rock in the 1990s. Modern
alternative and indie music venues like
The Black Cat and the
9:30 Club bring popular acts to the U Street area. The hardcore punk scene in the city, known as
D.C. hardcore, is an important genre of D.C.'s contemporary music scene. Starting in the 1970s and flourishing in the
Adams Morgan neighborhood, it is considered to be one of the most influential punk music movements in the country.
