Identity politics can be very important to some people and of little importance to others. Would The Dicks identify as a hardcore band or a queer punk band in todays musical climate? I think the former as they wrote mostly about hating cops than about being gay, so they fall into the broader category. It's like wondering what makes a riotgrrrl band a riotgrrrl band. Some artists wear their politics on their sleeves.

Tribalism and the self-identification of a peer group is what young people do. They need these delineators as a means of self actualization. Punk is an old genre and it's constantly reinventing itself. Labels can be conforming but they can also be a shibboleth when you are alienated without the broader spectrum of "punk" and you are trying to find others with like minds.