The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. Britishmods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them. The dancing style was revived during the 1970s/1980s 2 Tone era, and has been adopted by some individuals in the hardcore punk subculture. The punk version features a sharp striking out look with the arms, and is sometimes used in moshing to knock around others doing the same. The striking out with the arms while traveling in a circle is also common in psychobilly "wrecking."
The term "skanking" has also been used to refer to a style of rhythm guitar playing employed frequently in reggae music as part of the actual rhythm section, most frequently as a regular up stroke across all six strings of the guitar on every other beat of the measure, frequently exactly accompanied by the keyboard equivalent.
