While punk rock was a high octane, teeth-gnashing attack on rock's establishment and post-punk was its artsy, experimental and po-faced cousin, to many people new wave was always the acceptable face of the punk movement.
More inspired by the melodicism of David Bowie, Sparks and Roxy Music, less overtly political, more lighthearted, less scabrous, more... well... pop, it’s really no surprise that many new wave bands far outstripped their pure punk peers in terms of commercial success. By the time the mid-80s rolled around, new wave artists had become the establishment that punk had sought to destroy. Ironic, sure, but worth it: this is a genre that gave us some of the most memorable pop hits of all time.
