Released by Rhino Entertainment on October 28, 2003, the box set of four compact discs includes 100 tracks originally released between 1973 and 1980, performed by 75 artists from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.

In addition to punk rock, the collection touches upon the antecedent style of proto-punk and the related genres of new wave music, power pop, and post-punk.

The Buzzcocks have the most tracks of any single artist, with three of their songs included in the compilation.

Johnny Thunders appears on five tracks: two by the New York Dolls, two by The Heartbreakers, and his 1978 solo song "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory".

Notably absent from the compilation are the Sex Pistols, whose singer John Lydon refused Rhino Entertainment permission to include any of the band's tracks, allegedly because Rhino chose not to release the 2002 Sex Pistols boxed set in the United States.