Ramones was an American punk rock band formed in New York in the mid-1970s around Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Tommy Ramone. Their music was built around short, fast and minimalist songs blending rock ’n’ roll, garage rock, surf music and pop, with simple melodies, distorted guitars and raw energy. With albums such as Ramones, Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin, the band became one of the founding and most influential groups in punk history.