CBGB is the small, sticky-floored club at 315 Bowery in Manhattan’s East Village that gave American punk rock its stage. Between 1973 and 2006, a roughly 350-person room with a broken awning and a legendarily bad sound system hosted the first shows by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, and Television, and closed out its run with a marathon final set from Patti Smith.
Here’s everything worth knowing about CBGB: its exact address and how to get there, what kind of New York City music venue it actually was, the bands and eras that built its reputation, what replaced it, and how the CBGB name lives on today through a revived music festival, a radio station, and a merchandise brand.
Quick Answer
CBGB was a punk and new wave club located at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in Manhattan’s East Village, New York, NY 10003. Founded by Hilly Kristal on December 10, 1973, and closed on October 15, 2006, it’s remembered as the birthplace of American punk rock, launching the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, and Patti Smith. The building still stands and today houses a John Varvatos boutique, while the CBGB brand lives on through an annual music festival and an online store.
CBGB’s Address & How to Get There
CBGB’s address was 315 Bowery, New York, NY 10003, on the east side of the Bowery at Bleecker Street, in the East Village/NoHo section of lower Manhattan. The building is still standing and easy to visit today — it now houses a John Varvatos boutique that has preserved much of the club’s original interior, including layers of band stickers and graffiti near the old stage area.
The closest subway stop is Bleecker Street (6 train), about a three-minute walk away, with the Second Avenue (F train) station nearly as close. Several Manhattan bus lines also stop within a block along the Bowery. Since the space is now a retail store rather than a music venue, there’s no cover charge or box office — you can walk in during normal store hours, which are set by the current tenant rather than CBGB. Check John Varvatos’ Bowery store page for current hours before visiting.
What Kind of New York City Music Venue Was CBGB?
As a New York City music venue, CBGB was intentionally no-frills: a narrow, roughly 350-capacity bar-and-stage room with a long approach past the bar to a small, low stage, sticky floors, band stickers layered inches deep on the walls, and a sound system famous for being loud, cheap, and unpredictable. There was no dress code, and for much of its history, founder Hilly Kristal’s open booking policy let almost any band play a slot — which is exactly what let a scene form around the room.
That accessibility set CBGB apart from Manhattan’s more established rock clubs of the era, like Max’s Kansas City. Where other NYC venues booked already-known acts, CBGB doubled as a rehearsal space and testing ground: bands played for tips and drink tickets before they played anywhere else, and on a slow weeknight the musicians in the room often outnumbered paying customers. That mix of low overhead, loose booking, and a captive community of musicians and fans is what turned an ordinary Bowery bar into arguably the most influential rock venue in American history.
The Birthplace of American Punk
When Hilly Kristal opened CBGB in 1973, the Bowery was a down-and-out stretch of lower Manhattan largely ignored by the mainstream music industry — exactly the kind of low-rent freedom that attracted young, experimental bands with nowhere else to play. By 1974, Television and Patti Smith were regular fixtures, and in 1974-75 the Ramones debuted their rapid-fire three-chord attack on the CBGB stage, effectively defining the template for punk rock that would soon spread from New York to the United Kingdom.
Throughout the late 1970s, the venue became a proving ground for new wave acts like Blondie and Talking Heads alongside harder-edged punk outfits, and by the 1980s it had shifted into a hub for hardcore bands including Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, and the Cro-Mags. Despite the gritty atmosphere and notoriously unreliable PA, CBGB earned a reputation as the single most important small club in rock history.
Legacy and Life After 315 Bowery
CBGB shuttered in October 2006 after a rent dispute with its landlord, the Bowery Residents’ Committee. Patti Smith’s closing-night set became a celebration and a eulogy in one, drawing a crowd that spilled out onto the Bowery. The club’s scuffed walls, band stickers, and torn awning became pop-culture artifacts — the awning itself was acquired by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Today, 315 Bowery is still occupied by the John Varvatos boutique, which opened in 2008 and has kept many of the club’s original details, including graffiti and the old stage area, visible inside the store. The building’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 formally recognized CBGB’s outsized influence on American music, long after the last chord had faded.
The CBGB Brand Today: Festival, Radio & Merch
CBGB the club closed in 2006, but CBGB the brand didn’t disappear. Hilly Kristal’s estate, with his daughter Lisa Kristal Burgman involved as an executor, retained the name and logo; CBGB Radio launched in 2010 as an online station keeping the club’s playlist alive, and a licensed CBGB Shop still sells apparel and memorabilia through the official CBGB site.
More recently, the brand has been actively relaunched: an annual CBGB Festival returned to Brooklyn’s Under the K Bridge Park, growing quickly enough that its 2026 lineup features Morrissey, Patti Smith, Interpol, and a reunited run from the Sex Pistols. It’s the closest thing to a living successor to the club — a once-a-year gathering of the artists and fans that CBGB’s original stage helped create.
CBGB punk club address and history FAQs
What is CBGB’s address?
CBGB was located at 315 Bowery, New York, NY 10003, at the corner of Bleecker Street in Manhattan’s East Village. The building still stands; it’s now home to a John Varvatos boutique.
What does CBGB stand for?
CBGB stands for ‘Country, Bluegrass, Blues, and Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers’ — abbreviated CBGB & OMFUG. Founder Hilly Kristal originally intended the club to feature those roots genres, but it became famous for punk and new wave instead.
When did CBGB open and close?
CBGB opened on December 10, 1973, and closed on October 15, 2006. Patti Smith performed the final concert, a 3.5-hour set that ended with the song ‘Elegie.’
Is CBGB still open today?
No — the original club closed in 2006. The address at 315 Bowery now houses a John Varvatos clothing store, but the CBGB name lives on through an annual CBGB Festival, CBGB Radio, and a licensed merchandise line sold at the official CBGB store.
What subway stop is closest to CBGB’s old location?
The Bleecker Street station (6 train) is about a three-minute walk from 315 Bowery, and the Second Avenue station (F train) is nearly as close.
What is at 315 Bowery today?
The John Varvatos fashion boutique has occupied 315 Bowery since 2008, preserving much of the original interior including graffiti-covered walls and the stage area. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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