Outside of New York and London, California’s Bay Area claims the oldest continuous punk-rock scene in the world.

From the innovative art-damage of San Francisco’s Fab Mab in North Beach, to the still vibrant all-ages DIY ethos of Berkeley’s Gilman Street, Gimme Something Better chronicles over two decades of Bay Area punk, including the Sex Pistols’ notorious final performance, Jello Biafra’s bid for mayor, the creation of Maximum RocknRoll, and the rise of the East Bay pop-punk sound that took the world by storm.

This definitive oral history explores the music, progressive politics, divine decadence, and smartass wit of Bay Area punk — with members of Dead Kennedys, Avengers, Flipper, MDC, Green Day, Rancid, NOFX, and AFI.