Junk Culture is the fifth studio album by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental Dazzle Ships (1983), OMD and Virgin intended for the group to shift towards a more accessible sound on its follow-up release. The band retained much of their early experimental approach but embraced a wider range of influences than previously, drawing inspiration from pop, dance, Latin and black music. Frontman Andy McCluskey characterised Junk Culture as "the catchiest, poppiest album [OMD] ever made".

Despite alienating some listeners, the record met with a generally positive critical and commercial response. It became OMD's fourth consecutive Top 10 album in the UK, and has been named as one of the best releases of 1984. Junk Culture spawned four singles, including the UK Top 20 entries "Locomotion" and "Talking Loud and Clear", and the club hit "Tesla Girls". The album was remastered and re-released in 2015, with a bonus disc of B-sides and extended mixes.

"We kind of consciously and unconsciously decided to dial down some of the experiments and dial up some of the melodies. We had to think, 'This is our job, this is how we pay the bills, so we better be more careful'... [Dazzle Ships] nearly killed our career."

— Andy McCluskey

Virgin Records had been alarmed by the hostile critical and commercial response to experimental predecessor studio album Dazzle Ships (1983). OMD were compelled to sell more records in order to maintain their deal with the label, and consequently moved towards a radio-friendly sound. Keyboardist Paul Humphreys recalled, "We made an album to save our career, really. If we'd done another Dazzle Ships, Virgin would definitely have dropped us." The band elected not to record in their own Gramophone Suite studio in Liverpool; instead, McCluskey and Humphreys wrote and demoed songs separately at home. Neither man satisfied with the results of this approach, OMD regrouped, working at Highland Studios in Inverness for three weeks. The band trialled some of the new compositions on a September 1983 UK club tour, with Howard Jones as support. Afterwards, they recorded with producer Brian Tench at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, then moved on to Mayfair Studios in London. In contrast to the arduous Dazzle Ships era, recording sessions were positive and the group were writing prolifically.

A single release of "Tesla Girls" was considered for late 1983 but was rejected by Virgin, who insisted the band concentrate on the album. OMD and Tench travelled to AIR Studios in the "paradise setting" of Montserrat, introducing a newly-acquired Fairlight CMI sampler keyboard; the group had followed advice to leave the UK and become tax exiles, in order to preserve royalties from the successful Architecture & Morality (1981). The sessions lasted two months, during which time OMD were inspired by the sounds of local calypso and reggae music, including those of Montserratian musician Arrow. The band also incorporated various pop, dance, R&B and Latin influences into their recordings, while retaining much of their trademark sonic experimentation. The songs deviated somewhat from the minimal OMD style of old, taking on more of a full band sound under the direction of Tench.

When the group ran out of studio time in Montserrat, they returned to Europe to finish off the album at the more affordable ICP Studios in Brussels. Producer Tony Visconti was recruited to assist with the record, but was unavailable until three weeks later; the band took a break and went travelling, which dispelled simmering doubts about the new material. Having been unimpressed by ICP, the group reconvened at Wisseloord in Hilversum, Netherlands. Visconti was already satisfied with Tench and OMD's production efforts: his main contributions were the addition and arrangement of brass parts on "Locomotion" and "All Wrapped Up". The working relationship was strained, with Humphreys stating, "The record company suggested we bring in Tony Visconti. We thought, 'Great,' because he'd worked with [David] Bowie. But he really didn't understand us. There's a great quote in his book where he says something like, 'Those guys rely far too much on technology. I wanted to bring musicians into the band.' He really didn't get us." Mixing of Junk Culture was completed by Tench. According to OMD's official site, recording also took place at The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell.

McCluskey said of the album's title in 1984, "We began to appreciate that it wasn't enough to simply dismiss popular culture as being worthless, that there is some merit in almost everything; video, computer games, junk food, pop music and so on." He added that "the lyrics reflect a sort of loss of inhibitions - the idea that you don't have to think something is artistically right in order to enjoy it." In a 2019 interview McCluskey expanded upon the choice of title: "I was fully aware we were going to get hammered... I was desperate for a title that would legitimise us making a pop album: it's acceptable as long as you do it knowingly." "Love and Violence" was considered as a title, owing to the record's contrast between love songs and more aggressive tracks. As with previous studio albums, the cover artwork was designed by Peter Saville Associates (with photography by Richard Houghton). For the first time OMD supplied lyrics on the record's inner sleeve.