Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s around Ian MacKaye, Lyle Preslar, Brian Baker and Jeff Nelson. Their music was defined by very short, fast and incisive songs, closely associated with a DIY ethic and lyrics dealing with independence, social pressure, identity and the rejection of certain norms within punk culture. Despite a brief career, with releases such as Minor Threat, In My Eyes and Out of Step, the band became one of the defining acts of American hardcore and the straight edge movement.