Pop punk (or punk pop) is a
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
that combines elements of
punk rock with
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
or
pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as
adolescent and anti-
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
ia themes, and is distinguished from other punk-variant genres by drawing more heavily from 1960s bands such as
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
, and
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
. The genre has evolved throughout its history, absorbing elements from
new wave,
college rock
College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...
,
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
,
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
,
emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
, and
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
s. It is sometimes considered interchangeable with power pop and
skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skater subculture and punk rock subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, skate punk evolved into a mo ...
.
Pop punk emerged in the late 1970s with groups such as the
Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
,
the Undertones
The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley ...
, and the
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
. 1980s punk bands like
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
,
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...
and
the Misfits were influential to pop punk, and it expanded in the 1980s and early 1990s by a host of bands signed to
Lookout! Records
Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation ...
, including
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
,
the Queers
The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With t ...
, and
the Mr. T Experience
The Mr. T Experience (sometimes abbreviated MTX) is an American punk rock band formed in 1985 in Berkeley, California, United States. They have released eleven full-length albums along with numerous EPs and singles and have toured international ...
. In the mid–late 1990s, the genre saw a massive widespread popularity increase with bands like
Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
,
the Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
and
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
. The genre was further popularized by the
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
. Pop punk's popularity continued throughout the early 2000s, with artists such as
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
,
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
,
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
,
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
,
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...
and
New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
achieving various levels of critical and commercial success.
In the mid–late 2000s, pop punk acts were largely indistinguishable from artists tagged as "emo", to the extent that emo crossover acts such as Fall Out Boy and
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
popularized a punk pop style dubbed
emo pop
Emo pop (also known as emo pop punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with the melodies of pop punk and/or pop music. Emo pop features a music style with more concise songs and hook-filled choruses. Emo pop began in the 1990s with ban ...
. By the 2010s, pop punk's mainstream popularity had waned, with rock bands and guitar-centric music becoming rare on dance-focused pop radio. During this period, however, a wave of underground artists defined a rawer and more emotional take on the genre, namely
the Story so Far The Story So Far may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Books
* ''The Story of Sar'' (book), a 2003 book by Bhawana Somaaya
Films
* ''The Story So Far'' (2001 film), a film about the band Sick of It All
* ''The Story So Far'' (2002 film), a documentary about ...
,
the Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...
and
Neck Deep
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...
. In the early 2020s, a new crop of pop punk music began experiencing mainstream resurgence with various new acts such as
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...
,
KennyHoopla and
Yungblud
Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud (pronounced "Youngblood"), is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his first EP, ''Yungblud'', followed shortly after by the albu ...
.
Definition and characteristics
Pop punk is variously described as a
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
subgenre,
a variation of punk, a form of pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
, and a genre antithetical to punk in a similar manner as post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
. It has evolved stylistically throughout its history, absorbing elements from new wave, college rock
College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...
, ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
, rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
, emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
, and boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
s. Writers at ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' described pop punk as a punk subgenre that has "essentially been around as long as punk itself" with roots in the "classic pop of the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
, and the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
, often pitting sweet harmonies against bratty, rowdy riffs." According to Ryan Cooper of About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
, "pop punk is a style that owes more to The Beatles and '60s pop than other sub-genres of punk".
There is considerable overlap between power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
and pop punk, and the two styles are often conflated.[ Web publication ''Revolver'' acknowledged that, while pop punk and power pop are often presented interchangeably, "the core concept is simple — melodic songs packaged with a punk slant."] In Brian Cogan's ''The Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture'' (2006) pop punk is characterized as "a catchy, faster version of power pop." AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
defines "punk-pop" as "a post-grunge
Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...
strand of alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
" that combines the textures and fast tempos of punk rock with the "melodies and chord changes" of power pop. In the 1990s, there was overlap between pop punk and skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skater subculture and punk rock subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, skate punk evolved into a mo ...
. Music journalist Ben Myers
Benjamin Myers (born January 1976) is an English writer and journalist.
Early life
Myers grew up in Belmont, County Durham, and was a pupil at the estate's local comprehensive school where he become interested in reading and skateboarding.
M ...
wrote that the two terms were synonymous.
Rock writer Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw (January 1949 – October 19, 2004) was an American writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian and record executive.
Biography
Shaw was born in San Francisco, California. He began writing about rock and roll music as a ...
, who wrote extensively about power pop and took credit for codifying the genre in the 1970s, originally defined power pop itself as a hybrid style of punk and pop. Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
frontman Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...
, who described power pop as "the greatest music on Earth that no one likes", opined that the pop punk term was an oxymoron
An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...
: "You're either punk or you're not." Writing in ''Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop'' (2007), actor Robbie Rist
Robbie Rist (born April 4, 1964) is an
American actor. He is known for playing Cousin Oliver in ''The Brady Bunch'', Martin in '' Grady'' and "Little John" in ''Big John, Little John''. Rist is also known for voicing assorted characters in te ...
felt that much of the genre merely consisted of pop bands who "add the 'punk' moniker so the kids will think they are pissing off their parents."
''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', in an article about pop punk, wrote that the term was a retroactive label for punk bands who had "always championed great songwriting alongside their anti-authoritarian stance. And punk's focus on speed, concision and three-chord simplicity is a natural fit with pop's core values." ''Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
''s Jason Heller described "an open respect for the tradition and craft of pop songwriting" as a key characteristic of pop punk. Bill Lamb, also from About.com, writes that punk pop is a variant of punk music that features "a hard and fast guitar and drums base but powered by pop melodies like much of '70s punk rock." ''Alter the Press!'' defines pop punk as "a genre that originates from mixing punk rock with pop sensibility".
Lyrically, pop punk often addresses adolescent themes of lust, drugs, suburbia
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
, and rebellion. Some pop punk lyrics focus on jokes and humor. ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''s Amanda Petrush summarized that the "rawness" of punk pop "lies not in the music" but by conveying the "spectrum of human experience, all that longing and self-doubt."
History
Origins (1970s–1980s)
Punk rock has always shared sensibilities with pop music, especially since the late 1970s. In his book ''Rock and Roll: A Social History'' (2018), author Paul Friedlander lists the following English artists as representative of the "new wave of pop punk synthesis" that occurred in the late 1970s: Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
, the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
, the Jam
The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...
, Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...
, Joe Jackson, the Pretenders
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...
, UB40
UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...
, Madness, the Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
, the English Beat
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. Likewise, among American acts, Friedlander references Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
, Blondie, the B-52s
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...
, the Motels
The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In ...
, and Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...
.
Heller said that the Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
crafted a blueprint for pop punk with their 1976 debut album, but 1978 was the year that the genre "came into its own". He noted that some bands "were unmistakably pop punk bands by today's definition of the term, but in 1978, the distinction wasn't so clear. Plenty of punk groups of the era threw a token pop tune or two into their set—sometimes for ironic effect, other times earnestly." Heller also acknowledged that many "burgeoning pop punk groups in 1978 bordered on power-pop, a parallel genre on the rise at the time. But power-pop began earlier, and it was a more American phenomenon". Among the influential pop punk bands of the late 1970s were the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
. An ''LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' writer later referred to the band's 1979 compilation album ''Singles Going Steady
''Singles Going Steady'' is a compilation album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, first released on I.R.S. Records in the United States on 25 September 1979.
Background
''Singles Going Steady'' was the first Buzzcocks album to be released ...
'' as "the blueprint for punk rock bands preferring tuneful tales of lost love and longing to rage against the machine." Cooper similarly cited the album as one of punk's most influential and added that Buzzcocks' "pop overtones edthem to be a primary influence on today's pop punk bands.". Heller referred to the Undertones
The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley ...
as "the most subversive band" of the genre during this period, particularly their 1978 single "Teenage Kicks
"Teenage Kicks" is the debut single by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. Written in the summer of 1977 by the band's principal songwriter, the song was recorded on 15 June 1978 and initially released that September on independent Be ...
", "one of the most striking and definitive pop punk classics."
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
, formed in 1979, helped to lay the groundwork for the pop punk style that emerged in the 1990s. They and some of the other leading bands in Southern California's hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
scene emphasized a more melodic approach than was typical of their peers. According to Myers, Bad Religion "layered their pissed off, politicized sound with the smoothest of harmonies". Myers added that another band, the Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...
, "wrote almost surfy, Beach Boys-inspired songs about girls and food and being young(ish)". Their positive yet sarcastic approach began to separate them from the more serious hardcore scene. The Descendents' 1982 debut LP ''Milo Goes to College
''Milo Goes to College'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Descendents, released on September 4, 1982 through New Alliance Records. Its title referred to singer Milo Aukerman's decision to leave the band to attend college, ...
'' provided the template for the United States' take on the more melodic strains of first wave punk. Many pop punk bands, including Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
, cite the Descendents as a major influence. Descendents paved the way for future pop punk bands with their themes of hating parents, struggling to find a girlfriend, and social alienation. Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...
band The Misfits also influenced pop punk with their 1982 album ''Walk Among Us
''Walk Among Us'' is the debut album by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in March 1982 by Ruby Records and its parent label Slash Records. It was the first full-length album to be released by the band, although it was the third to ...
'', which was a forerunner to later pop punk music with the album's vocal harmonies and pop-inspired melodies. The Misfits' gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
image inspired later pop punk bands like Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
and My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
. Marginal Man
Marginal Man was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C., that formed in 1982. Three of its members—Steve Polcari (vocals), Pete Murray (guitar), and Mike Manos (drums)—had previously played together in the Bethesda, Maryland h ...
was a Washington D.C. hardcore punk band who mixed hardcore punk with melodic chord progressions and clean, melodic singing, being influenced by power pop, jangle pop
Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...
and new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
.
Underground expansion (late 1980s and early 1990s)
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, pop punk bands such as Green Day, the Queers
The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With t ...
, The Mr. T Experience
The Mr. T Experience (sometimes abbreviated MTX) is an American punk rock band formed in 1985 in Berkeley, California, United States. They have released eleven full-length albums along with numerous EPs and singles and have toured international ...
and Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...
emerged from the record label Lookout! Records
Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation ...
with a sound indebted to Buzzcocks, the Ramones, and the Undertones. In August 1992, early 1990s California punk rock and pop punk was noticed by the magazine ''Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' when the magazine published a story called "California Screamin'", which is about the early 1990s underground punk rock scene in California, mentioning pop punk bands like Screeching Weasel and Green Day. Screeching Weasel's 1991 album ''My Brain Hurts
''My Brain Hurts'' is the third studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The album was originally released on CD, vinyl and cassette in September 1991 through Lookout Records. It was the group's first album on Lookout as ...
'' influenced many subsequent pop punk bands, with bands like Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
, Allister
Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...
and Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
citing them as an influence. Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
, known for playing genres like traditional punk and cowpunk
Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New wave music, new wave with country music, country, folk music, folk, and b ...
, achieved moderate success starting in the early 1990s prior to the 1994 mainstream explosion of pop punk. The band's self-titled album (1990) and ''Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
''Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell'' is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough singles "Ball and Chain" and " Story of ...
'' (1992) both eventually were certified gold in the United States.
Mainstream popularity (1994–2009)
Mainstream success (1994–1998)
In the wake of Nirvana and Grunge breaking through in the early 1990's, California's Green Day and Bad Religion were both signed to major labels in 1993, and by 1994, pop punk was quickly growing in mainstream popularity. Many punk rock and pop punk bands originated from the California punk scene of the late 1980s, and several of those bands, especially Green Day and the Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
, helped revive interest in punk rock in the 1990s. Green Day arose from the 924 Gilman Street
The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, often referred to by its fans simply as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California, about ...
punk scene in Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. After building an underground following, the band signed to Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
and released their major-label debut album, ''Dookie
''Dookie'' is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late 1993 at Fantasy ...
'', in 1994. ''Dookie'' sold four million copies by the year's end and spawned several radio singles that received extensive MTV rotation, three of which peaked at number one on the Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. Green Day's enormous commercial success paved the way for other North American pop punk bands in the following decade. In 1999, ''Dookie'' was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). The Offspring also achieved mainstream success in 1994 with their album '' Smash'' being certified 6× platinum by the RIAA.
MTV and radio stations such as Los Angeles' KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The stat ...
played a major role in the genre's mainstream success. The Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
brought punk even further into the United States mainstream. With punk rock's renewed visibility came concerns among some in the punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...
that the music was being co-opted by the mainstream. Some punk rock fans criticized Green Day for "selling out" and rejected their music as too soft, pop-oriented and not legitimate punk rock. They argued that by signing to major labels and appearing on MTV, bands like Green Day were buying into a system that punk was created to challenge.
Continued mainstream success (1999–2004)
In 1999, Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
achieved mainstream success with ''Enema of the State
''Enema of the State'' is the third studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on June 1, 1999, by MCA Records. After a long series of performances at various clubs and festivals and several indie recordings throughout the 1990s, B ...
''. In the description of journalist Matt Crane, the record initiated "a new wave of pop punk". He added, "At any given time in the late ’90s/early 2000s, it was not uncommon to see Blink-182 and Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
on MTV. You couldn't escape it. Pop punk was ''in'', and it became the undisputed mainstream choice." Lamb described second-wave pop punk bands, led by Blink-182, as having "a radio friendly sheen to their music, but still maintaining much of the speed and attitude of classic punk rock". ''Enema of the State'' was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA and its song "All the Small Things
"All the Small Things" is a song by American rock music, rock band Blink-182. It was the second single and eighth track released from the band's third album, ''Enema of the State'' (1999). The track was composed primarily by guitarist and vocal ...
" peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Sum 41's debut album All Killer No Filler
''All Killer No Filler'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on May 8, 2001. It was certified platinum in the United States, Canada, and in the UK.
Despite mixed reviews, the album was a commercial success, peaking a ...
was certified triple platinum in their home country of Canada. Its song "Fat Lip
"Fat Lip" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It is the fourth track on their debut album, ''All Killer No Filler'' (2001), and was released as the lead single in April 2001. It is the band's most successful single to date, topping the '' B ...
" peaked at number one on the US Billboard alternative airplay chart and number eight on the UK singles chart.
Around this time the genre saw the rise of the "Drive-Thru Records Era", where a number of bands that were signed to independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
s gained mainstream attention, namely those on Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records was a California-based independent record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. The label was partially responsible for popularizing the pop-punk/emo merger sound of the early to mid-2000s. After facing financia ...
. This included bands such as New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
, Allister
Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...
, Fenix TX
Fenix TX (styled as Fenix*TX) is an American pop punk band. The band originally formed as Riverfenix in 1995 in Houston, Texas. They released an Extended play, EP, ''G.B.O.H.'', and an album, ''Riverfenix (album), Riverfenix'', on independent rec ...
, the Early November
The Early November is an American rock band from New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 2001 and signed with Drive-Thru Records in 2002. , they have released two EPs: ''For All of This'' (2002) and '' The Acoustic EP'' (2005). They have ...
, Something Corporate
Something Corporate (also known as ''SoCo'') was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their last line-up included vocalist and pianist Andrew McMahon, guitarists Josh Partington and Bobby Anderson, bassist Kevin ...
, the Starting Line
The Starting Line is an American pop punk band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 1999.
History
Early years (1999–2001)
In 1999, the band that would become The Starting Line was initiated in Churchville, Pennsylvania via an e ...
, Midtown, Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye (sometimes styled as hellogoodbye) is an American pop rock band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album ''Zom ...
, Rx Bandits
Rx Bandits are an American four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valle ...
and the Movielife
The Movielife is a Long Island punk rock band composed of vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarist Brandon Reilly, and drummer Brett Romnes. The band originally formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2003, but announced their official reunion in December 201 ...
. A 2017 article by Upset Magazine called New Found Glory "pop punk's most consistent and influential bands for 20 years" and the Starting Line's song " Best of Me" was cited by Alternative Press as one of the most influential songs in the genre.
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
's 2002 album '' Let Go'' set a precedent for the success of female-fronted punk pop acts. Journalist Nick Laugher wrote that it was "undeniable" that the record launched pop punk into the mainstream, "blurring the lines with it and straight-up pop music, and making it more of a cultural movement than a genre." Other critics and publications noticed that because of Lavigne's punk-driven-pop anthems, she has earned the reputation as the genre's "queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
". For her part, Lavigne preferred to describe her music as "heavy pop rock", rather than punk. Other pop punk bands that achieved popularity include Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...
, Simple Plan
Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1999. The band's lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guita ...
and MxPx
MxPx () is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera on lead vocals and bass guitar, Yuri Ruley on drums and percussion, Tom Wisniewski on lead gui ...
. Good Charlotte's 2002 album ''The Young and the Hopeless
''The Young and the Hopeless'' is the second studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte, released on October 1, 2002 by Epic and Daylight Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album (2000), the band met producer Er ...
'' went triple platinum. Simple Plan's 2002 debut album '' No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls'' was certified double platinum and its 2004 follow-up '' Still Not Getting Any...'' went platinum.
In the United Kingdom, Busted and McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
gained notability through merging pop punk musicality with boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
aesthetics. Busted's 2002 self-titled debut album was certified 4× platinum and their second album ''A Present for Everyone
''A Present for Everyone'' is the second studio album by British pop punk band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and features a sound mixing pop punk and power pop material with traditional pop rock. Five ...
'' was certified 3× platinum. McFly's 2004 debut album ''Room on the 3rd Floor
''Room on the 3rd Floor'' is the debut studio album by English pop rock band McFly. It was released on 5 July 2004 in the United Kingdom via Island Records, and was later issued in the United States by Island Def Jam Records via the iTunes St ...
'' peaked at number one on the UK albums chart and was certified 2× platinum.
Mainstream breakthrough of emo pop and neon pop punk (2005–2009)
As emo pop
Emo pop (also known as emo pop punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with the melodies of pop punk and/or pop music. Emo pop features a music style with more concise songs and hook-filled choruses. Emo pop began in the 1990s with ban ...
's merger of pop punk and emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
coalesced, the record label Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the lab ...
became a center of the movement, releasing platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
selling albums from bands like Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
, Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
and Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
. Fall Out Boy's 2005 song "Sugar, We're Goin Down
"Sugar, We're Goin Down" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy. "Sugar, We're Goin Down" was released to US radio on April 4, 2005, as the lead single from their second album, '' From Under the Cork Tree'' (2005). Two different CD singl ...
" received heavy airplay, climbing to number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 music charts. Plain White T's
Plain White T's are an American Rock music, rock band from Lombard, Illinois, formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, and Ken Fletcher, and joined a short time later by Steve Mast. The group had a mostly underground music, ...
was another Illinois emo pop band that received major mainstream success. Their album '' Every Second Counts'' (2006) went number 10 on the Billboard 200 charts and featured their number one single "Hey There Delilah
"Hey There Delilah" is a song by American pop rock band Plain White T's. It was released on May 9, 2006 as an EP from their third studio album, ''All That We Needed'' (2005). The song was later released in 2007 as a single from their fourth studi ...
". New Jersey band My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
was one of the faces of emo pop during the 2000s. MCR's albums ''Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
''Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge'' (often shortened to ''Three Cheers'' or ''Revenge'') is the second studio album by American Rock music, rock band My Chemical Romance, released on June 8, 2004, by Reprise Records. With this album, the band produc ...
'' (2004) and ''The Black Parade
''The Black Parade'' is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. Released in Europe on October 20, 2006, through Reprise Records, it was produced by the band with Rob Cavallo, known for having produced multiple albums fo ...
'' (2006) both sold more than 3 million copies in the US alone. The latter of the albums debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album's lead single "Welcome to the Black Parade
"Welcome to the Black Parade" is a song from American rock band My Chemical Romance's third studio album, ''The Black Parade'' (2006). It was released on September 12, 2006, as the album's lead single, with the studio version available on the b ...
" topped the US Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart and reached number 9 on the Billboard hot 100. Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in 1999. The band's members currently are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keybo ...
's third album ''Louder Now
''Louder Now'' is the third studio album by American rock band Taking Back Sunday. In April 2005, the group had begun writing material for the album. Two months later, they signed with Warner Bros. Records and contributed a song to the ''Fantasti ...
'' (2006) debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 charts.
According to ''Brooklyn Vegan
''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...
''s Andrew Sacher, after the success of "hugely popular" 2000s bands such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
, and My Chemical Romance, "the line between pop punk and emo look dclose to nonexistent." Several pop punk bands took different directions in the late 2000s, with Panic! at the Disco crafting the Beatles-inspired, baroque-styled record ''Pretty. Odd.
''Pretty. Odd.'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band Panic at the Disco. Recorded at the Studio at the Palms in Paradise, Nevada with additional production at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Rob Mathes, the album was ...
'' (2008) and Fall Out Boy experimenting with glam rock, blues rock and R&B on '' Folie a Deux'' (2008), both of which created fan confusion and backlash. ''Folie a Deux'' sold worse than their preceding albums, a representation of the backlash from their fanbase as the group experimented with a musical style differing from their pop punk background.
The late-2000s also saw the pioneering of neon pop punk, a style of pop punk that embraced more elements of pop and electronic music than was traditional in the genre. Popular groups in the style at the time included All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band too ...
, the Maine, the Cab
The Cab is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut album, ''Whisper War'', was released on April 29, 2008. They have been called "The Band You Need to Know 2008" by '' Alternative Press'' magazine. They were also featured in t ...
, Metro Station
A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...
, Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album which went on to sell over 700,000 albums in the United States earning a ...
, Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, ''While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enliste ...
and Forever the Sickest Kids. Metro Station's 2007 single "Shake It
"Shake It" is a song by American pop band Metro Station, released as the third single (and debut British single) from the group's 2007 self-titled debut studio album.
"Shake It" was the band's first charting single, peaking at number 10 on the ...
" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. All Time Low's 2008 single "Dear Maria, Count Me In
"Dear Maria, Count Me In" is a song by the American rock band All Time Low. The song is from their second studio album ''So Wrong, It's Right''. It was released May 6, 2008, through Hopeless Records as the album's second single. The song became t ...
" is certified double platinum in the United States, and their 2009 album '' Nothing Personal'' peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart. The Maine's 2008 debut album '' Can't Stop Won't Stop'' peaked at number 9 on the Billboard digital albums chart. Cobra Starship's 2009 album ''Hot Mess
''Hot Mess'' is the third studio album by the American musical ensemble Cobra Starship, released through Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance Records on August 11, 2009. The album is the follow-up to 2007's ''¡Viva la Cobra!''. It debuted at #4 on ...
'' reached number 4 on the Billboard 200. Boys Like Girls' 2009 second album ''Love Drunk
''Love Drunk'' is the
second album by the American
pop rock band Boys Like Girls, released on September 8, 2009 by Columbia Records. The album was recorded in New York City and Vancouver because there are "two different producers/production te ...
'' peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Decline in mainstream popularity (2010s)
Pop punk lost its mainstream popularity in the early 2010s, with rock bands and guitars becoming rare on dance-focused pop radio. Some acts, such as New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
, have seen concert attendance numbers decrease steadily. Devon Maloney of MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
wrote that "Pop punk and emo bands don't headline Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
or Bonnaroo
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...
; they rarely, if ever, are even billed on mainstream festival stages," and notes that it has similarly disappeared from the press. The only magazines that feature pop punk bands are niche publications like ''Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' and the occasional teen magazine, while influential pop punk magazine ''AMP #REDIRECT Amp
{{Redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
'' ceased publication in 2013. The decline in mainstream popularity for the genre, coupled with the closure of many mid-size venues associated with it, has resulted in many venues and labels returning to the DIY ethic
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...
that first spawned the punk movement.
By 2012, pop punk bands that had achieved minimal mainstream success had seen a return to grassroots form, "the micro-operation style that yielded the results that caught the mainstream's attention in the first place." Chad Gilbert
Chad Everett Gilbert (born March 9, 1981) is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band New Found Glory, for whom he plays lead guitar, sings backing vocals, and composes music. He was also ...
of New Found Glory wrote in an op-ed for ''Alternative Press'' entitled "Why Pop Punk's Not Dead—And Why It Still Matters Today": "This isn't a dead genre, and just because there isn't a song on the radio to clarify that shouldn't matter. ... Pop punk means something to a lot of people and to me, having success as a band in our genre is about longevity, touring a lot and staying true to your fans."
By the 2010s, many pop punk bands had folded; "once essentially child stars, their members are now adult musicians hoping to move beyond the teen trappings that gave them careers." Fall Out Boy and Paramore, two groups that achieved mainstream success within the genre, had two number one albums—''Save Rock and Roll
''Save Rock and Roll'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It was produced by Butch Walker and released April 12, 2013, through Island Records. On October 15, the album was re-released with ''PAX AM Days'', an extended p ...
'' and ''Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
''—side by side on the ''Billboard'' 200. Fall Out Boy along with other pop punk bands that peaked during the mid-2000s began experimenting with the more pop side of pop punk, in order to maintain their relevancy and keep the interest of their fanbase while gaining the appeal of the newer generations that may not relate as much to the punk themes of the 1970s. Their popularity provoked conversations about the state of the genre; Maloney opined that these records could not be viewed as pop punk.
Underground revival (2012–2016)
In the early 2010s, a new wave of pop punk groups emerged, fronted by the Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...
, State Champs
State Champs is an American pop punk band from Albany, New York, formed in 2010. They are currently signed to Pure Noise Records and have released three EPs and four full-length albums. They released an acoustic EP titled ''The Acoustic Things' ...
, Neck Deep
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...
, Real Friends and Knuckle Puck
Knuckle Puck is an American rock band, formed in 2010 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The group released several EPs, one of which, '' While I Stay Secluded'' (2014), peaked at number 5 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. The band released a sp ...
. Dave Beech of '' Clash'' noted that these groups were " rker and more mature" than those previously, taking influence "and occasional indifference" from 1990s emo,[ music commentator ]Finn McKenty
Finn McKenty (born September 7, 1978) is an American marketing strategist, music commentator, writer and graphic designer who currently runs the YouTube channel The Punk Rock MBA and is director of marketing at the online education platform URM Aca ...
also cited the influence from hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
as being prominent during this period. On the Wonder Years' ''The Upsides
''The Upsides'' is the second studio album by American rock band The Wonder Years, released through No Sleep Records and Run For Cover Records on January 26, 2010. The album was recorded with producer Vince Ratti at Skylight Studios in Fairless ...
'' (2010), vocalist Dan Campbell sung about "His early twenties soul-searching and tales of strife" which "resonated with a ewgeneration, inspiring countless imitators in the process." This pushed Campbell to "the forefront of a new wave", and the album influencing a new wave of pop punk bands. ''Rock Sound
''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...
'' included The Wonder Years' '' The Greatest Generation'' on their best albums of 2013 list, calling it "the defining album of what may well have been the genre's best year for a decade." ''Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' said the album "ripped up the pop punk blueprint" pushing the genre to "new peaks of invention, both lyrically and musically." The Story So Far The Story So Far may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Books
* ''The Story of Sar'' (book), a 2003 book by Bhawana Somaaya
Films
* ''The Story So Far'' (2001 film), a film about the band Sick of It All
* ''The Story So Far'' (2002 film), a documentary about ...
's ''What You Don't See
''What You Don't See'' is the second studio album by American pop punk band The Story So Far.
Background
The Story So Far signed to Pure Noise in March 2010. The band released their debut album in June 2011. The band supported We Are the Union and ...
'' (2013) "cemented their place at the top table of nu pop punk". In early 2014, Welsh band Neck Deep
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...
released their debut album ''Wishful Thinking
Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire.
Methodologies to examine wishful think ...
'', which ''Rock Sound'' later called it "the greatest UK pop punk record of ''all time''." During this period, Man Overboard
"Man overboard!" is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that a member of the crew or a passenger has fallen off of the ship into the water and is in need of immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person's fall is to shout, "Man overboa ...
's "Defend Pop Punk" shirt design, which featured an AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...
, became a popular symbol of the scene, to the extent that a number of publication have posthumously described this period as the "Defend Pop Punk Era".
Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer's 2014 self titled album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and in many other countries, and received what the Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
journalist Harriet Gibsone described as "the kind of mania only ever granted to a massive boyband". However, the band's status as pop punk was controversial, ''Alternative Press'' described the band as important to the marketing of the pop punk scene,[Why 5 Seconds Of Summer are more important to pop punk than you think](_blank)
''Alternative Press''. Retrieved January 2, 2015. whereas in a Clash magazine interview with Terry Bezer, he described them as "not pop punk... uta valuable gateway for young kids to begin taking their first steps towards bands of... more substance." Around this time, a number of other pop punk-influence pop artists gained mainstream attention, including Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...
and Halsey.
Several pop punk bands have embarked on anniversary tours in the early to mid-2010s, playing some of their most popular albums in full. While some members of these bands have had mixed feelings about these performances, quite often these tours sell as well as or better than the first time around. Club promoters in the UK have created nights based around lasting appreciation of the genre. The Warped Tour still attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees each year; the 2012 tour attracted 556,000 festival-goers, its third-best attendance. Bobby Olivier of ''The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' wrote: "The genre ... continues to reinvent itself and Warped is pop punk's prom."
In 2016, ''Rolling Stone'' reported that pop punk was "still one of the most predominant and popular rock genres". The magazine conducted a reader's poll for the "10 Best Pop Punk Albums of All Time" that ultimately included Green Day (''Dookie'', ''American Idiot'', ''Nimrod''), Blink-182 (''Enema of the State'', ''Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
''Take Off Your Pants and Jacket'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on June 12, 2001, by MCA Records. The band had spent much of the previous year traveling and supporting their previous album '' Enema of the ...
'', ''Dude Ranch
A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.
History
Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...
''), the Ramones (''Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
''), the Offspring (''Smash''), Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...
(''Bleed American
''Bleed American'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on July 24, 2001, by DreamWorks Records. The album was re-released as ''Jimmy Eat World'' following the September 11 attacks; that name remained un ...
''), and Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
('' Valley of the Dolls'').
Revived mainstream interest (2017–2019)
In the late 2010s, the genre was influential on the development of emo rap
Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commo ...
. Many emo rappers gained mainstream attention during this period. In particular, Lil Peep
Gustav Elijah Åhr (November 1, 1996 – November 15, 2017), known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a member of the emo rap collective GothBoiClique. Helping pioneer an emo revival-style of Rapp ...
, Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
, Juice WRLD
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and So ...
and XXXTentacion
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...
were all vocal about their love for and influence from pop punk. Emo rapper Wicca Phase Springs Eternal
Adam McIlwee (born March 11, 1989), often known by the stage name Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (WPSE), is an American musician from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Beginning his career as a member of the rock band Tigers Jaw, he soon began pursuing a solo ...
was even a member of the influential 2010s pop punk band Tigers Jaw
Tigers Jaw is an American rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005. Their first album, ''Belongs to the Dead'', was released in 2006. They released a 7-inch single, "Spirit Desire", in 2009, on Tiny Engines. They released two more a ...
. This brought about a revived interest in the genre in popular culture, leading to a number notable artists beginning to release pop punk songs towards the end of the decade. Emo rapper Lil Aaron
Aaron Jennings Puckett, better known by his stage name Lil Aaron (stylized as lil aaron), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Goshen, Indiana. Merging elements of pop punk and emo with hip hop and pop, he has released five solo E ...
and pop singer Kim Petras
Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republ ...
released the pop punk song "Anymore" on September 5, 2018. On 13 February 2019, Yungblud
Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud (pronounced "Youngblood"), is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his first EP, ''Yungblud'', followed shortly after by the albu ...
and pop singer Halsey released the pop punk song " 11 Minutes" featuring Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transpla ...
. The song was certified gold in the United States, peaked at number one on the Billboard Bubbling under Top 100 chart and was performed at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platform. Founded by iHeartRadio in 2014, the eve ...
. On June 7, 2019, Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...
, who had been established as a rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
for over a decade, released the pop punk song "I Think I'm Okay
"I Think I'm Okay" (stylized as "I Think I'm OKAY") is a song by American musician Machine Gun Kelly, English musician Yungblud, and fellow American musician Travis Barker. It was released as a single on June 7, 2019, from Machine Gun Kelly's fourt ...
" featuring Yungblud and Travis Barker. His first release in the genre, the song was nominated at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
and was certified platinum within a year. On July 12, 2019, Cold Hart and Yawns of the influential emo rap collective GothBoiClique
GothBoiClique (also abbreviated as GBC) is an American emo rap collective based in Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 2012 by Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Cold Hart, and Horse Head. The group's name comes from a beat that Cold Hart sent to ...
, released the pop punk album ''Good Morning Cruel World'' and on September 18, 2019, emo rapper Lil Tracy
Jazz Ishmael Butler (born October 3, 1995), professionally known as Lil Tracy, is an American rapper and singer. He was also known under the name Yung Bruh during the beginning of his career. Tracy is best known for his collaborations with the l ...
released the pop punk song "Beautiful Nightmare".
An October 2019 article by Mic cited emo rap as bringing an interest to a new wave of pop punk groups like Stand Atlantic, Doll Skin
Doll Skin were an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The band's final lineup was made up of Syd Dolezal (They/Them) (lead vocals/rhythm guitar). Former members of the band are Nicole Rich (bass/backing vocals), Alex Snowden ...
, Waterparks and rapper Vic Mensa
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...
's band 93PUNX. Alternative Press also cited English bands Trash Boat
Trash Boat is a British punk rock band formed in St Albans in 2014. The group consists of Tobi Duncan (lead vocals), Dann Bostock (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Ryan Hyslop (lead guitar), James Grayson (bass, backing vocals), and Oakley Moff ...
, Boston Manor
Boston Manor is an English Jacobean manor house built in 1622 with internal alterations, intensively restored in later centuries and Boston Manor Park is the adjoining publicly owned green space including a lake. It was the manor house o ...
and As It Is as making "significant contributions to the latest revival era".
Mainstream resurgence (2020s)
In September 2020, Machine Gun Kelly released his fifth studio album ''Tickets To My Downfall
''Tickets to My Downfall'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Machine Gun Kelly. A departure from his established rap sound, the album is a more guitar-driven pop-punk album. It was released through Bad Boy Records and Interscope Re ...
'', his first entirely pop punk album. The album debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard 200'' chart, becoming the first rock album to top this chart since Tool's ''Fear Inoculum
''Fear Inoculum'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Tool. It was released on August 30, 2019, through Tool Dissectional, Volcano Entertainment, and RCA Records. It is the band's first album in 13 years, due to creative, personal, ...
'' in September 2019. The Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
credited the album as "bridg ngthe gap" between the modern pop punk scene and the mainstream interest that developed from the emo rap scene. "My Ex's Best Friend
"My Ex's Best Friend" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American musician Machine Gun Kelly featuring fellow American musician Blackbear. It is the third single off of the former's pop-punk fifth studio album ''Tickets to My Downfall''. ...
", a song from ''Tickets to My Downfall'', has since peaked at number 21 on Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
. Because of this, a number of media outlets began crediting him with leading a pop punk revival.
An article by ''Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' credited Machine Gun Kelly as well as Yungblud as bringing the genre back to mainstream attention. In addition to this, the publication cited the app TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
as one of the key factors, as videos tagged #poppunk had received 400 million views by January 21, 2021. On the app, viral trends took place using tracks from pop punk bands like All Time Low, Simple Plan and Paramore. Some popular TikTok content creators even began releasing music in the genre around this time. Notably, TikToker Jxdn
Jaden Isaiah Hossler (born February 8, 2001), known professionally as Jxdn (stylized in all lowercase and pronounced "Jaden"), is an American singer, songwriter and TikTok personality from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hossler rose to prominence on the ...
began releasing pop punk music in February 2020, while LilHuddy did the same the following year. This led ''Polygon'' to term this new wave of artists "TikTokcore". ''Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' writer Al Shipley described pop punk and its new association with hip hop as 2020's "commercial juggernaut".
''Our Culture Mag
''Our Culture Mag'' (stylised ourculture) is a British arts and culture online magazine launched in 2016 by Modestas Mankus , based in Cambridge, England. It covers film, fashion, music, art, photography and literature.
History
In 2016, Modes ...
'' cited KennyHoopla as a "key player in the eturnof the genre", and Kerrang! called him the "leader of pop punk's new generation". Olivia Rodrigo's 2021 pop-punk song "Good 4 U
"Good 4 U" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, released on May 14, 2021, through Geffen and Interscope Records, as the third single from Rodrigo's debut studio album, '' Sour'' (2021 ...
" peaked at number one on the Billboard singles chart, which according to ''Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' magazine, made it "rock's first hot 100 number 1 in years". Publications such as ''the Face
The face is a part of the body, the front of the head.
Face may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face''
* ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film
* ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...
'', ''the Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' and ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' cited this wave as having an increased diversity of sexuality, race and gender when compared to prior eras. A February 2021 article by Louder Sound
''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...
cited artists like Meet Me at the Altar
Meet Me at the Altar (stylized as Meet Me @ the Altar) is an American pop punk band formed in 2015. Initially, the three members—all of whom lived in different states at the time—worked on music remotely through the internet. The band went o ...
, Yours Truly, Noah Finnce
Noah Finn Adams, known professionally as NOAHFINNCE, is a British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and YouTuber.
Biography
Early life
Adams was raised in Ascot, Berkshire, Ascot, England. His interest in music began when he was a y ...
and Jxdn as "reinventing pop-punk for 2021".
Offshoots and subgenres
Emo pop
Emo pop became popular in the mid-2000s, with record labels such as Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the lab ...
releasing platinum albums from bands including Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
, Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an American rock band that was formed in Middleburg, Florida, in 2003. The band has released five studio albums to date. The current members are Ronnie Winter (lead vocals), Joey Westwood (bass), Josh Burke (lead g ...
and Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
. Maloney wrote: "While many pop punk fans adamantly deny any association between their favorite acts and those labeled "emo," crossover bands who melded the two have gradually put both genres in the same scene-boat."
Easycore
Easycore (less commonly known as popcore, dudecore, softcore, happy hardcore, and EZ) is a genre that merges pop punk with elements of metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
.
It often makes use of breakdowns, screamed vocals
Screaming is an extended vocal technique that is popular in "aggressive" music genres such as heavy metal, punk rock, and noise music and others. It is common in the more extreme subgenres of heavy metal, such as death and black metal as wel ...
, major key
In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in classical, Western art, and Western pop music.
The group features a '' tonic note'' and its corresponding ''chords'', al ...
progressions and riffs and synthesizers
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
. The genre's roots come from early 2000s pop punk groups Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
and New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
. New Found Glory's self-titled
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
and ''Stick and Stones'' albums and Sum 41's song "Fat Lip
"Fat Lip" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It is the fourth track on their debut album, ''All Killer No Filler'' (2001), and was released as the lead single in April 2001. It is the band's most successful single to date, topping the '' B ...
" were some of the earliest and most influential released in the genre. The style's name originates from the 2008 "Easycore tour", which featured A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember (often abbreviated ADTR, and previously known as End of an Era) is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida, founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of meta ...
, Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jake Massucco. They have released seven studio al ...
and headliners New Found Glory, which itself was a pun based on the name of "hardcore punk".
Neon pop punk
Neon pop punk (also known as simply neon pop) is a form of pop-punk that emphasizes synthesizers
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
. ''Alternative Press'' writer Tyler Sharp wrote that while this wasn't the first instance that "a band decided to put fuzzy keys over their chord progressions, but it was a time when that formula was perfected."[ Kika Chatterjee of ''Alternative Press'' added that the late 2000s "brought in glowing synths and poppy melodies that shifted the entire definition of op punk, giving it the "neon" moniker.] Sharp cited Forever the Sickest Kids' debut album ''Underdog Alma Mater
''Underdog Alma Mater'' is the debut studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on April 29, 2008 by Universal Motown.
Composition
Many of the songs from ''Underdog Alma Mater'' had already been released ...
'' (2008) as "a big moment" for the genre.
Criticism
The punk rock music community often perceived pop punk to be, according to Iain Ellis of ''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'', "too soft, too fake, too derivative, and too corporate". In a 2003 interview, Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle would suggest that punk had become a "huge umbrella," stating, "And fair play to bands like Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
and stuff, you know, they've been inspired when they were really young by us and the Clash and things, but it comes from a different well. When we started, punk to me was the Clash, the exPistols, and the Buzzcocks over here he United Kingdom
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
and in the nitedStates it was the Dolls
A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found ...
, Iggy
Iggy or Iggie is a unisex name and it is often a hypocorism, short form of the Ancient Rome, Roman Latin names Ignatius, Ignatia (feminine) and Ignatius (masculine), or their derivatives in other European languages. As such the name is derived ulti ...
, and the Ramones. We invented our style, just like the Clash did and the Ramones did. But the bands that have come later, some of them you see tend to just ape what went on before, where I'd rather them do their own thing a bit more with it."
Green Day were accused of selling out since the release of ''Dookie'' for signing to a major label and becoming mainstream. John Lydon of the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
criticized Green Day and said that Green Day are not a punk band. Lydon said: "Don't try and tell me Green Day are punk. They're not, they're plonk and they're bandwagoning on something they didn't come up with themselves. I think they are phony." Green Day guitarist and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong said: "Sometimes I think we've become redundant because we're this big band now; we've made a lot of money—we're not punk rock anymore. But then I think about it and just say, 'You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can't take the punk rock out of us.[
Blink-182 also received a lot of criticism from punk rock fans, being accused of selling out for their pop-music-inspired style of pop punk. Lydon called Blink-182 "bunch of silly boys ... an imitation of a comedy act." Blink-182 guitarist and singer Tom DeLonge responded to criticism, saying: "I love all those criticisms, because fuck all those magazines! I hate with a passion '']Maximumrocknroll
''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featur ...
'' and all those zines that think they know what punk is supposed to be. I think it's so much more punk to piss people off than to conform to all those veganistic views."
In a November 2004 interview, Sum 41 rhythm guitarist and lead singer Deryck Whibley said: "We don't even consider ourselves punk. We're just a rock band. We want to do something different. We want to do our own thing. That's how music has always been to us." Sum 41's lead guitarist Dave Baksh reiterated Whibley's claims, stating "We just call ourselves rock... It's easier to say than punk, especially around all these fuckin' kids that think they know what punk is. Something that was based on not having any rules has probably one of the strictest fucking rule books in the world."
Music critic for Treblezine Jeff Terich argued that the debate regarded the ethics of "pop-punk" is redundant, saying that the there is "no discussion of the genre that doesn’t eventually devolve into the black-mold-like growth of Disney-approved mallrats, but the irony of it is that all punk is pop. The Ramones? Pop. The Clash? Pop. And The Buzzcocks? Damn right they’re pop."
See also
* List of pop punk albums
The following is a list of pop punk studio albums by notable artists that have been described as such by music reviews or any similar source. They are listed in chronological order.
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
See also
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* List of pop punk bands
This is a list of notable musical artists associated with the music genre of pop-punk.
Pop punk is a rock music genre that fuses elements of punk rock and power pop and pop. It typically combines punk’s fast tempos, loud and distorted electri ...
* Skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skater subculture and punk rock subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, skate punk evolved into a mo ...
References
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External links
Punk pop
– article about pop punk music
– article about the Buzzcock's role in developing the pop punk genre
Further reading
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{{Pop rock
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21st-century music genres
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Punk