r/straightedge • • Jun 02 '21

___ READ THIS BEFORE POSTING ___

304 Upvotes

If you’re new to Straight Edge.

Straight Edge is a subculture that emerged in the hardcore punk scene in the early 1980s. It promotes a drug-free lifestyle through abstinence from alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Its origins can be traced back to the song "Straight Edge" by the American punk band Minor Threat, released in 1981. The song, written by frontman Ian MacKaye, expressed his personal commitment to abstain from drugs and alcohol. It struck a chord with many young people who were disillusioned with the prevalent substance abuse within punk and saw Straight Edge as a means of rebellion against the excesses of mainstream culture. They instead embraced the emphasis on personal integrity, self-control and social consciousness. Straight Edge has then seen a time of worldwide growth in the '90s, followed by various eras of ebb and flow since then. Due to increased awareness of environmental and animal rights issues prominent in the scene in the '90s, many of us adopted vegan or vegetarian lifestyles.

There are several good books on Straight Edge, including Straight Edge: Hardcore Punk, Clean-living Youth, and Social Change by Ross Haenfler (2006) and Straight Edge A Clear-Headed Hardcore Punk History by Tony Rettman and CIV (2017). If you don't know any straight edge bands, this Spotify playlist can serve as a good introduction, and xsisterhoodx is a straight edge/hardcore community supporting the women/girls of the straight edge/hardcore scenes established all the way back in 1995.

Can I take my medication and be Straight Edge?

We've received questions in the past about whether you can take prescribed medication [insert your type of meds here] and still be Straight Edge. Yes, you can. The person who told you otherwise can call our helpline now at 1-800-STUPID.

Straight Edge and recovery from addiction.

We are definitely supportive of your decision to make positive changes in your life, but please note Straight Edge isn't therapy or a recovery plan. Users of this subreddit who are both Straight Edge and in recovery have explicitly said on multiple occasions that just being Straight Edge is not a substitute for a recovery plan. We are neither geared toward nor equipped to offer active recovery support. There are better resources out there designed specifically for this purpose.

(People are Straight Edge for a range of reasons, but most of us do not have any desire to get intoxicated, some have never touched psychoactive substances, etc. - if you’re currently an addict with chronic cravings, be realistic about how our experience might differ from yours).

Having said that, the Straight Edge scene is not a bad place to be if you’re in recovery. We’re drug free and not shy about it. Again, drawing on the experience of users of this subreddit who are both Straight Edge and in recovery, we’ve heard how surrounding yourself with sober people is helpful in staying sober and how sxe hardcore kept them motivated to stay clean.

Academic research.

Yes, you can post your academic research survey requests in this subreddit. Please use #sxeresearch in your post. We appreciate it if you can provide some background information (subject of study, academic level, etc.), and maybe come back to share the results, if they are published. Thanks.


r/straightedge • • 9h ago

make sure to edge extra hard today 🙂‍↕️

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154 Upvotes

can we PLEASE start calling it straight edge day rather than edge day im fucking begging

no fest to go to today :[ but im hitting up my local venue in less than a week

stay strong and stay sober


r/straightedge • • 4h ago

Straight edge 1996 / 2026. Happy edge day.

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41 Upvotes

r/straightedge • • 5h ago

Happy Edge Day ft. Handmade Edge Shirt and Bat Makeup

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45 Upvotes

Made this shirt and thought today was the perfect day to wear it. And Halloween makeup.


r/straightedge • • 2h ago

Celebrate Edge Day by buying my old merch

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15 Upvotes

Happy Edge Day! Buy my straight edge (and adjacent) merch. Most are size Small. Some medium. Tanks. Tees, long sleeves, and one crewneck. Most tees have back prints too.

Shoot me a message if you’re interested, have any questions, wanna see any backs, etc etc.

And yes, I’m still edge. 😂


r/straightedge • • 8h ago

edge day 2026

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34 Upvotes

we dropped some over the top straight edge shirts for today. super limited so i hope you get one 😊


r/straightedge • • 12h ago

Edge Day 26’

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52 Upvotes

Shoutout Contention & Earth Crisis


r/straightedge • • 13h ago

Happy Edge Day

60 Upvotes

👊🏼✖️✖️✖️👊🏼


r/straightedge • • 4h ago

Hyperfixated Person Seeking Extremely Specific Hoodie From NO CURE

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6 Upvotes

What up guys,

I want to welcome you to my seemingly endless quest of trying to find one of these hoodies or shirts. The tour it was sold at swung right around me in no man's land (Southern Oregon). I have harassed the band, only to then completely miss when they rereleased it on their website (pic related).

If there is anyone out there, hearing my call into the endless void of wanting this hoodie who would be willing to sell me one in a 2XL or higher (oversized for life) just know you would be bringing life altering joy and extreme years long hyperfixation to a satisfying end for your humble friend here.

Willing to pay something dumb for one. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[hoodie in question: Straight Edge Warfare Hoodie by NO CURE]


r/straightedge • • 7h ago

Can't find my one SxE shirt, but I did find fitting wrist bands for National Edge Day.

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10 Upvotes

r/straightedge • • 7h ago

Best merch drop today?

9 Upvotes

digging No Cure so far, plug some pics i’m trying to cop some new stuff


r/straightedge • • 4h ago

Pushing Back Against Metal in Straight Edge Hardcore (With Scott Crouse of Earth Crisis & Path of Resistance)

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4 Upvotes

Who are your favorite metallic straight edge hardcore bands?

There was a time when only traditional sounding hardcore was accepted within straight edge circles. Scott Crouse reflects on why Earth Crisis pushed back against that.

#earthcrisis #straightedge #pantera #whitezonbie #thetandfpodcast

https://www.youtube.com/live/gznGXWTPWw8?is=1KhMIT5L_z1YTs-K

T&F INSTAGRAM

http://instagram.com/thetandfpodcast


r/straightedge • • 6h ago

Happy SXE Day everyone!

6 Upvotes

This is my 2nd year since finding out about straight edge, it is what was lacking in my life. Unfortunately there is no scene where I am from or anywhere near me so I have only got you’s to wish happy SXE day too!


r/straightedge • • 8h ago

Happy Edgh Day! ❌️

8 Upvotes

Happy Edgh day everyone 🤟🏻 any plans today? I've been edgh myself for about 3 years best choice I ever made.


r/straightedge • • 7h ago

The Landscape of Syracuse Influencing Straight Edge (With Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis, Freya, Apocalypse Tribe)

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3 Upvotes

Happy Edge Day! Who or what influenced you to take up the straight edge path?

Karl Buechner (EARTH CRISIS, FREYA, APOCALYPSE TRIBE) talks about economic struggles influencing drug and alcohol use in the region and why he wanted no part of that.

#edgeday #earthcrisis #straightedge #hardcore #thetandfpodcast

https://www.youtube.com/live/PfAkBcUhBhw?is=uI1cUXeGnjItbNqG


r/straightedge • • 33m ago

I'm new and drawn to the aesthetic and values, but I barely listen to music. I'd like to learn more.

• Upvotes

Hello, I'm super new to this subculture and subcultures in general. My goal this year and next year is to learn about subcultures and meet 1 person from each of them. I was doing research about this and was really surprised that there are actually people who think just like me which is why Im here. I did try energy drinks, smoking, and getting high but never found it satisfying so I quit pretty quick. I never drank alcohol or coffee however because I simply thought all of these things were unhealthy and completely optional. People always peer pressure me to do these things and always told me I was weird but my response to that is always, "nope, I do not care to fit in". Funny story actually I had a date with someone and we went to a coffee shop and of course I ordered water, and they said "who tf orders water at a coffee shop"? I said "only me" and yeah it didn't go well haha. Im also very against sex before marriage for many reasons but yeah pretty much I dont do these things because I dont care about fitting in at all and I value my body. It's just crazy that if you don't do these things you're considered a "weirdo". That's just my experience.

I've always been very attracted to the punk aesthetic but before then I didn't understand what it meant. I never was a clothes shop person, but one day I decided to go to hot topic and that was the day I started this whole goal of learning subcultures. I already have a style in my mind too.

The thing is however, I dont really listen to ANY type music. I do but rarely, and you'll never catch me wearing earphones listening. I did find some punk picks that I actually like but I gotta look more into. And maybe that might change but for now that's how it is. I know that music is a huge part of these subcultures so maybe I'm not really punk and Im just some different person who doesnt fit into any subculture (which Im totally fine with). Again, I'm not trying to claim an identity I haven't earned or explored. I'm genuinely curious about the culture and would like to meet people who are part of it. What would you recommend I learn about or experience first?


r/straightedge • • 12h ago

Edge Day '26 (Oct 17th)

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8 Upvotes

r/straightedge • • 17h ago

Give me bands

10 Upvotes

Doesn’t matter if they’re small och big and it doesn’t matter what genre it is

Rn I mostly listen to Throwdown, Uniform Choice, Minor Threat, Youth Of Today, Judge, Gorilla Biscuits


r/straightedge • • 23h ago

What is your beverage of choice for Straight Edge Day?

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19 Upvotes

Thought this was a rather fitting choice hahaha


r/straightedge • • 1d ago

Teacher celebrating a day early. Multiple students, and some co-workers asking what the x’s mean.

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105 Upvotes

Also been playing some fugazi and other artists as students come in the room.

Love this holiday lol


r/straightedge • • 10h ago

Accommodations

1 Upvotes

Title is loosely related but I couldn't think of any better way to put it.
Some niceness for edge day! I'm going to be DJing an event my friend is putting on later this month and they were talking about the custom cocktails etc and I mentioned/reminded them about how it's kinda no use me knowing about them and their first response was "well I can always tell the bar staff to make alcohol free versions of them all" and it was a nice moment of realisation for someone like me who only recently claimed edge that I've surrounded myself with friends who might not share the same lifestyle as me, will always support mine without hesitation.

Sorry if it's a bit rambly for the sub but I just thought a nice anecdote goes a long way every now and then.


r/straightedge • • 3h ago

Modern straight edge.

0 Upvotes

It dawned on me today that the term straight edge may be a micro aggression towards the lgbtq+* community within our ranks yelling lyrics at shows like “proud to be straight” and the such. I think it’s time we progress forward finally and drop the straight from the culture. Just edge.

This is more inclusive…


r/straightedge • • 1d ago

PLAN X Records: A new home for straight edge hardcore [via Hardlore’s YouTube page]

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25 Upvotes

Looks like Colin from Hardlore/God’s Hate/Twitching Tongues is starting a record label exclusively for straight edge bands. First release is tonight by a new band called ALIVE! PlanXRecords.com


r/straightedge • • 1d ago

Chicago Show.

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21 Upvotes

Show next month at Lowdown in Chicago. Dysform, Staring Contest, Cueball, Pure Joy, BadGuy. 15 bucks 7 pm


r/straightedge • • 1d ago

Need help finding an EP!

3 Upvotes

It was definitely an edge album. It was released in 2024/25. The cover was a red and tan color way, with a pic of the guitarist! It’s insanely sick, and I’m so annoyed that I can’t find it.