The Newport music scene, in and around Wales' third city, has been well documented and acclaimed for cultivating bands, singers, and famous music venues. Newport has been traditionally a rock city since the 1970s, but it has evolved over the years to include forms of punk, 1990s alt-rock, and more recently metal and hip-hop.

The city has long attracted a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in South Wales. Those associated with the city include Joe Strummer of The Clash, Feeder, The Darling Buds, as well as Skindred, and Goldie Lookin Chain.

In 2001 FHM described TJ's as "one of the Top 50 best nights out in the world, ever." Newport is home to the UK's largest retailers of new LPs, Diverse Vinyl, which was established in 1988.

Newport became an alternative rock hotspot in the 1990s, when it was labelled as 'the new Seattle' and credited for bands such as 60 Ft. Dolls, Dub War, Novocaine and Flyscreen.

Manchester-based film maker Nathan Jennings announced in 2017 that a documentary was in the works about the city's musical past and present, entitled The Rock of Newport.

Newport has had a noted role in the cultural scene of South Wales for many decades. Newport Art College, originally based in the Newport Technical Institute buildings and now part of the University of South Wales, attracted budding photographers, musicians and artists to the city from across the United Kingdom.

Newport Art College produced many later successes, but also drew a cultural scene to the city associated with its students and young people, such as Joe Strummer of The Clash in the 1970s. Groups linked to Strummer were established including RnB outfit The Vultures, The Gay Dogs, and later many punk groups such as Cowboy Killers.

The 1990s saw the rise of alternative rock and grunge in the United Kingdom. The now established Newport venues such as TJ's started to attract up-and-coming groups and artists, including many from the Sub Pop American label as they toured the UK.