Canadian hardcore punk originated in the early 1980s. It was harder, faster, and heavier than the Canadian punk rock that preceded it. Hardcore punk (usually referred to simply as hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A. may have helped to popularize the term with the title of their 1981 album, Hardcore '81. Hardcore historian Steven Blush said that the term "hardcore" is also a reference to the sense of being "fed up" with the existing punk and new wave music. Blush also states that the term refers to "an extreme: the absolute most Punk." One definition of the genre is "a form of exceptionally harsh punk rock."
Influential early bands that formed in the Vancouver area included D.O.A., the Subhumans and The Skulls. Other well-known groups that moved to the Vancouver scene include Nomeansno and SNFU. Canada has several Christian hardcore groups, including Grace like Winter and Means. An influential Toronto band was Bunchofuckingoofs (BFGs). Canada also has straight edge groups, such as Chokehold and an all-female band, Pantychrist.