In high school, I was the girl who constantly had ear buds in.I honestly have hearing damage from this little habit, but I don't regret a thing. I was 14 when I first got into the punk music scene and my life has honestly been better since then. Here are the many reasons why I fell in love with this music scene.

The lyrics. The lyrics mean so much more than the ones that you hear in your everyday bubblegum pop songs (no offense to those that like this music). Many of the lyrics have a much deeper meaning than what a lot of other genres are willing to go into. Mental illness is a topic that is willingly brought up. It is never hidden and many of the singers of these bands are spokespeople for many different mental illnesses. The lyrics aren't objectifying women either like rap or pop does. Don't get me wrong, I like listening to rap. But, some of the lyrics make it seem like women are just sexual objects.

The sense of community is like nothing else. I have been to many punk/alternative concerts and I have never felt scared or worried about my safety. Every time I go, it's almost guaranteed that I'll make at least one new friend. Even when I went crowd surfing, I felt safe...well safe as you can while being carried in the arms of strangers towards the stage. The home shows of the smaller and lesser known bands are even greater. They are thankful to every fan they meet and care about how the fans feel. I was once at a small homeshow where multiple smaller bands were playing. The lead singer of one of the bands came over to introduce himself and thank my friends and for coming. He even gave us stickers as a small thank you for coming. I was so touched by how nice he was that I continue to listen to his band, and its now almost 4 years later.

It taught me to be myself. I know it sounds weird that a genre of music taught be to myself, but it did. The punk music scene is full of soo many bright and different personalities that aren't afraid to be themselves. That confidence is what taught to be me and not to be afraid of what others think about you.I looked up to Hayley Williams from "Paramore" because she wasn't afraid to dye her hair. The men from "Black Veil Brides" weren't afraid to wear makeup; they even-even embraced the fact that they were male and wearing obvious makeup. Honestly, I feel like The Vans Warped Tour is my home away from home because I feel so included there.

I have never once been judged by another person who has gone these concerts or followed this music scene. I actually feel like I belong here. I'm never dressed the wrong way or had too many piercings or tattoos. I'm almost also complimented on how I look and/or how beautiful some of my tattoos are. My confidence really has gone up since I started listening to this type of music. Even when I was in my "scene" days, not a single person said anything rude about my side bangs or fishnet shirt. I may look back not and wonder was I thinking, but never once did anyone makes me uncomfortable in my skin.

These are only a few of the reasons why I feel at home in the punk music scene. I could probably name a few dozen more reasons on why it's so great. I'm telling you to jump on my bandwagon, but I do recommend giving some of the bands a listen. We even have a pretty cool magazine based around the scene, Alternative Press. I would even suggect giving it a look!