This study focuses on discourse analysis concerning social issues and social criticism embedded in the songs of the punk band Dongker. The research aims to examine the role of punk music in raising social issues and critiquing the government’s handling of public welfare in Indonesia. Using Teun van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method, this study deciphers the communicated discourse of social messages through the lenses of social context, social cognition, and other dimensions. Additionally, the study employs social criticism theory to identify the forms and types of criticism present in the songs.The findings conclude that Dongker, a punk band from Bandung, utilizes music as a medium for social critique. In their album Ceriwis Necis, they not only deliver energetic and aggressive music but also highlight social issues relevant to the realities of Indonesia’s working class. Through van Dijk’s CDA framework, this research reveals how the lyrics of “Bertaruh pada Api” (“Betting on Fire”), construct narratives of resistance against economic exploitation, power dominance, and individual alienation within modern capitalism. On a broader scale, this study demonstrates that punk music remains relevant as a tool for social resistance, aligning with its historical role in global music as a representation of anti-establishment movements and critiques of injustice. The album Ceriwis Necis is not merely a musical artwork but also part of a larger narrative critiquing systemic social structures.