Deathrock is a late 70's early 80's punk offshoot from Los Angeles that had a very heavy hand in shaping the sound of American goth bands. Some "classic" bands are Christian Death (with Rozz Williams, not Valor), Kommunity FK, and 45 Grave (who also gets labeled as "horror punk"). Also check out some of the newere acts; such as Novocaine Mausoleum and Voodoo Church for a good idea of the typical sound.
I loved the 80s and how bands as banal and pedestrian as Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles could get branded as these exotic, bizarre, circus-like acts who embodied the realm of the underworld alongside stuff like Ozzy, Dio, Iron Maiden, etc...
The pinnacle of all that fundie Christian anti-music insanity of the 80s was the hate for John fucking Denver of all people.
People like this still exist today. You can usually find them out protesting some big name musical act for speaking openly about abortion or sex. You never see these people protesting outside of small venues where Black Metal bands are playing.