The Ramones Logo Shirt

The Ramones were an American rock band which were formed in Queens, New York in 1974, they are often cited as the first punk rock group. Although they achieved only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the US and the UK.

All band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", none of them were actually related. They performed over 2,000 concerts, over 22 years. In 1996, the band disbanded. Within nine years the band's three founding members, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, and Johnny Ramone had all died.

They are now cited as VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and the Rolling Stone lists of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2002, Spin magazine ranked the Ramones the second-greatest band of all time, trailing only The Beatles. In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.