The Electric Banana: Pittsburgh's Legendary Punk Rock Bar

Every great music city has a bar that becomes a legend. In Pittsburgh, that bar was the Electric Banana.

The Bar

The Electric Banana was a small, grimy, perfect rock bar in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. It opened in the 1970s and became one of the most important punk and alternative rock venues in the region — the kind of place where the stage was barely elevated, the sound system was barely adequate, and the shows were absolutely unforgettable.

The list of bands that played the Electric Banana reads like a punk and alternative rock hall of fame. The Ramones played there. So did the Dead Kennedys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop, and hundreds of other acts that went on to define American rock music. For a small bar in Pittsburgh, it punched far above its weight — a testament to the booker's taste and the city's appetite for real rock and roll.

The End

The Electric Banana closed in 2002, a victim of rising rents and the changing economics of the bar business. Its closure was mourned across Pittsburgh's music community and beyond — a reminder that the venues that matter most are often the smallest and most fragile.

The Electric Banana Pittsburgh Retro T-shirt, Sweatshirt, Baseball Tee, Hat, and Sticker are for everyone who was there. Find them in the Pittsburgh collection.