Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) was the visionary frontwoman and songwriter of the 1970s punk band X-Ray Spex. Taking her stage name from the synthetic, petroleum-based material as a commentary on disposable pop culture, she formed the group in 1976 alongside saxophonist Lora Logic, guitarist Paul Dean, bassist Jak Airport, and drummer BP Hurding.

The band released pioneering punk anthems, including the explosive 1977 single “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” and their landmark 1978 debut album, Germfree Adolescents. Following the dissolution of X-Ray Spex in 1979, Poly pivoted to jazz-influenced ambient music on her 1980 solo debut, Translucence, later returning with independent projects like Flower Aeroplane and Generation Indigo. Her fierce independence and rejection of commercial norms cemented her as a foundational blueprint for 1990s riot grrrl and modern feminist punk before her death in 2011.