Don’t be a Karen, especially when it comes to free expression. These ladies were Karens before the meme ever existed, so watch this compilation of statements against rock and metal that certainly did not age well.

There were no bigger Karens than the PMRC, who pressured the Recording Industry Association of America to adopt the famous Parental Advisory sticker. In the mid-80s, PMRC leader Tipper Gore could be seen all over daytime television, especially the talk show circuit. You’ll see her in this video speaking out against the extremity of heavy metal.

Before social media, Karens waited in the audience of daytime talk shows to share their feelings publicly. “I want to know how these men can avoid the fact, the true fact, that so many things that are happening… suicide rates are up, teenage pregnancies are up. How can you live with yourselves? How can you say you’re not influencing child abuse and all these things?” Suicidal TendenciesMike Muir seemed baffled by the question, likely wondering why Karen was correlating these facts with music.

One teen metalhead’s mom — we’ll call her Karen — gave an incredible interview back in the ‘80s about the music her son listened to. “I do not like the words,” she began. “I do not like the words. To me, they’re all Satan worship … It’s nothing to do with God or anything like that, it’s just praising the Devil, giving him the glory. The killing, how they treated children and the blood and all that, I just didn’t care for it.”

Feast your eyes and brace your ears for The Karens of Rock and Metal in the Loud List below.

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