How did the “psychobilly” genre get its name?

The term “psychobilly” first appeared in The Cramps’ promotional material in 1976, but the band used it playfully rather than to define a new genre. The label later became associated with a distinct style that blended retro rock ’n’ roll with punk energy and horror imagery, gaining wider use in Britain in the early 1980s.

The article links the word to Johnny Cash’s 1976 novelty hit “One Piece at a Time”, about a factory worker who steals car parts to build a vehicle. The song was Cash’s final Billboard Top 100 hit, and The Cramps’ Poison Ivy said the word reflected the idea that 1950s rockabilly was already “psycho”; she said they had not intended it to describe the louder, faster genre that emerged later.