Which Minor Threat song gave the straight edge movement its name?

Minor Threat’s song “Straight Edge” gave the straight edge movement its name. The 46-second track appeared on the band’s 1981 self-titled debut 7-inch EP and turned a personal punk statement into a widely recognized cultural identity.

Written by vocalist Ian MacKaye, the song rejects recreational drug use and intoxication. Its blunt lyrics describe avoiding cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, inhalants, and Quaaludes. The message was rooted in MacKaye’s own experience and in the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, rather than in a formal plan to create a movement.

The term spread quickly through punk communities, and straight edge developed into a subculture emphasizing abstinence from alcohol and drugs. Later adherents sometimes added commitments such as vegetarianism, veganism, or broader political activism, but those later practices were not all part of the original song.

“Out of Step (With the World)” and “In My Eyes” also explore related ideas, which can make them tempting answers. However, “Straight Edge” is the song that supplied the movement’s name.