Whatever the Ramones were, they were not a speed metal band. Speed metal places emphasis on technicality and usually has some melodic content. It sometimes contains prog rock elements, though that isn't strictly necessary.

The form has basically died over time, with bands either becoming more extreme thrash metal bands, or the epic, sci-fi and medieval obsessed power metal. Recently, a wave of so called Gothenburg bands have combined speed and death metal elements.

A few bands which could arguably be considered speed metal would be Nuclear Assault, early Megadeth, and later period Prong.