The dictionary isn't very helpful: 1a: of or relating to punk rock 1b: relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock 2: very poor :

The dictionary isn't very helpful: 1a: of or relating to punk rock 1b: relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock 2: very poor : inferior 3: being in poor health But it comes from how punk was attached to cyber, i.e. cyberpunk, and then sub-bastardized out from there, originally meant to be a way to describe future ruffian dissidents who almost never engaged in direct physical altercations but instead used the awesome power of information asymmetry in a digital age to act outside of the bounds of the law, often supplemented with drugs or mechanical enhancements (cyborgs) and the like. Matrix is Cyberpunk, then Steampunk is modern day technology in the 1800's BUT POWRERED BY STEAM!, Solarpunk is basically Slow Life Cottagecore, so now alternate histories are "MESOPUNK" because that sounds cooler I guess. Also: https://sorcereroftea.com/punkpunk-a-to-z-of-punk-genres/ https://sorcereroftea.com/punkpunk-a-to-z-of-punk-genres/