Hands Off the Animals

Hardline is an extremist offshoot of straight edge hardcore that emerged around the turn of the 1990s in the United States. It combined the fast, confrontational sound of hardcore punk with a highly codified ideology centered on militant veganism, drug- and alcohol-free living, sexual conservatism, and an uncompromising stance on environmental and animal liberation. Musically, hardline bands leaned into metallic hardcore: rapid-fire drum patterns, thrash-informed riffs, down-tuned chugging, and breakdowns designed for intense pit energy. Vocals are typically shouted or barked, with gang vocals and slogan-like choruses that read like manifestos. Beyond the music, hardline functioned as a self-identified movement with chapters, zines, and a formal manifesto, which made it one of the most ideologically explicit currents in hardcore. Its rhetoric and aesthetics—stark imagery, polemical lyrics, and a militant tone—left a lasting mark on later vegan straight edge and certain regional scenes.