Slime is a German punk rock band founded in Hamburg in 1979. They were one of the defining bands of the 1980s German punk scene. Musically and lyrically, they developed from simple, straightforward songs in the style of late 70's British punk into complex song structures with layered and cryptic texts. Their anti-fascist messages in particular had an enormous influence on the later Deutschpunk scene; many slogans from their earlier work were adopted in the autonomist scene.
Slime's work was the subject of controversy. During their periods of growing success, they were accused of "selling out". Their anti-American songs were also criticized by the leftist scene. Their first EP, Wir wollen keine Bullenschweine ("We don't want any fucking cops") was the subject of preliminary proceedings by the public prosecutor.
The band first dissolved in 1984 and reunited in 1990 as violence against refugees began to mount (e.g. Hoyerswerda riots, Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots) and released two albums, experiencing their first commercial success before dissolving again in 1994. The band reunited in 2009 after 15 years and has released two additional albums.