Punk the Capital takes viewers of any musical persuasion step by step from a sleepy 1970's Nation's Capital to the birth of an explosive music scene which came to not only define American punk rock/hardcore punk but alter the broader rock 'n' roll landscape the world over. Pioneering bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat (Ian MacKaye) and well-known figures including Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra all appear in the film. The film details how the sounds and ideas such as Straight Edge (no drinking, no drugs) of this revolutionary music resound through to our present day.