This article analyzes the phenomenon of nationalist rock in contemporary Hungary, by giving a brief account of its roots and history, starting from the bands of the skinhead
movement in the 1980s and 1990s to the present day. The article underlines nationalist rock’s interconnections with the political life of the radical right. It explores the content and style of Hungarian ultranationalist rock, focusing mainly on the lyrics of three of the most influential and well-known bands of the genre of Nemzeti Rock: Romantikus Erőszak, Kárpátia and Ismerős Arcok. The analysis shows how Nemzeti Rock expresses the main tropes and ideological themes of the political radical right – such as nativism, heroic masculinity, and populism – in a succinct and direct manner and with broad popular appeal, and therefore constitutes an ideal medium of conveying the ideology of the radical right to the public
