Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk) is a subgenre of post-punk that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements. The genre is characterized by mixing the energy of punk rock with the danceable rhythms of funk and disco. It was most prominent in the New York City punk movement.

Many groups in the post-punk era adopted a more danceable style. These bands were influenced by funk, disco, new wave, and other dance music popular at the time (as well as being anticipated by some artists from the 1970s including Sparks and Iggy Pop). Influential acts from the 1980s included Talking Heads, Public Image Ltd., New Order and Gang of Four. New York City dance-punk included Defunkt, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Material, James Chance and the Contortions, Cristina Monet, Bush Tetras, ESG, and Liquid Liquid. German punk singer Nina Hagen had an underground dance hit in 1983 with "New York / N.Y.", which mixed her searing punk (and opera) vocals with disco beats.

In the late 1970s, as the no wave movement grew in reaction to commercial new wave, punk bands such as James Chance and the Contortions, ESG and Liquid Liquid began to experiment with a more dance-friendly sound. Dance punk peaked in the early 1980s and then began to decline until the late 1990s, when it experienced a resurgence. Among the first relevant bands to exploit the genre were Leeds' Gang of Four, New York's Talking Heads, New Order (formerly Joy Division) and Public Image.

Dance-punk emerges as a compromised genre. Its first wave came about in response to the systemic shifts caused by late capitalism and neoliberalism. Its primary objective was to create a communal and alternative scene as a critique of the growing emphasis on neoliberal competition and private accumulation. The second wave of dance-punk materialized in an urban landscape characterized by the presence of the hipster figure, deeply entrenched in creative industries, operating in the symbolic realm rather than the manufactured, and accumulating subcultural capital.

Emerging from the convergence of disco and punk influences, dance-punk exhibits a strong affiliation with urban environments, particularly in the way they are romanticized and portrayed. These spaces, whether they exist in the realm of imagination or reality, conjure up a sense of cosmopolitanism, artistic liberation, and a spirit of defiance against the confines of conventional mainstream culture.

The dance-punk genre, spanning both its first and second waves, occupies a nuanced position along a stylistic spectrum rather than adhering to a rigid set of defining characteristics.

Categorizing dance-punk becomes increasingly complex as certain bands proclaim allegiance to a punk "attitude" while crafting music that leans more towards electronic dance genres. Notably, as a subgenre emerging from the broader post-punk movement, dance-punk shares several common features. These features include "dour (male) vocals with erudite or self-conscious lyrics, accompanied by metallic-sounding, distorted electric guitars playing texturally, not melodically; an accelerated disco beat or dance groove; a melodic bass line; and echoing sound effects borrowed from dub-reggae."

One of the most notable features of dance-punk is a deliberate emphasis on the effective use of space and silence. This approach involves creating minimalist rhythms, avoiding extended guitar solos and deliberately 'stripping back' the sound. Within dance punk, minimalism is not just about simplicity; it signifies a sense of directness and systematic order, often drawing parallels with the purity associated with the clean lines and abstractions of modernist art.