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Description of Pop Punk

 
Pop Punk is widely -- but inaccurately -- recognized as a 1990s phenomenon. It first emerged with the Ramones' debut album in 1976 and included '80s underground successes like the Dickies, the Descendants, and the Buzzcocks, who earned cult followings with their catchy, peppy Punk. It wasn't until the mid-'90s, however, when Punk-Pop finally wound its way into America's commercial mainstream, due in part to MTV's incessant airing of Green Day's "Longview" video in the spring of 1994. Pop Punk, with its irresistibly simple chord progressions, speedy tempos and strong sense of melody, seems almost like the Bubblegum rock of the '60s. But albums like Husker Du's Flip Your Wig and Jawbreaker's Dear Youpoint to a different side of the music, layering deeply personal lyrics beneath their catchy melodies and wall-of-guitar production.
 

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Pop Punk Key Artists

 
ALL

Formed after the break-up
of punk-pop pioneers the
Descendents, ALL
continued making hyper
punk with blistering pop...

blink-182

This Southern California
combined playground
humor and punk-pop
hooks, creating anthems for
a new generation. Compri...

Bouncing Souls

The Bouncing Souls
effortlessly incorporate
countless '80s pop culture
references in their bouncy,
sing-along pop-punk. Like...

Buzzcocks

A keystone of UK punk, the
Buzzcocks' smart use of
melody set them apart from
the rest of the lot. The
Buzzcocks formed in Engl...

Cringer

Pre-JChurch peace-punk
band whose sound moved
from a Crass-like fury to
catchy Punk-Pop, indicative
of late '80s Bay Area.

Descendents

The Descendents first
formed in 1979. Their
infectiously catchy pop
melodies helped lay the
foundation for pop-punk....

Fall Out Boy

The members of Fall Out
Boy started out in hardcore
punk bands before making
the move to something more
melodic. The band is nam...

Green Day

Punk revivalists in style, this
raucous trio achieved
triple-platinum status with
their major-label debut,
Dookie. Although Gre...

Lagwagon

Lagwagon were at the
forefront of the California
skate-punk revival in the
early '90s. The band
combines a melodic singin...

M.E.S.T.

Southside Chicago Punks
with a penchant for catchy,
rambuctious SoCal
Punk-Pop. M.E.S.T.'s Tony
Lovato got the band's nam...

Mr. T Experience

Formed in 1985, Mr. T
Experience were one of
the first Bay Area Punk-Pop
bands. Mr. T Experience
released their first album,...

My Chemical Romance

In the new millennium My
Chemical Romance brought
the angsty punk sub-genre
known as "emo" to the
mainstream masses. With...

New Found Glory

Punk rockers New Found
Glory honed their melodic
skills playing gigs along the
East Coast and in Florida.
The band's title was thoug...

NOFX

NOFX are responsible for
more sound-alike SoCal
Skate Punk groups than any
band since Bad Religion.
NOFX formed in 1983. Don...

Panic at the Disco

This next generation
punk-pop band teeters
between futuristic and
nostalgia with the use of
drum machines and accor...

Plain White T's

In 1997 the band began with
cover songs and then
experimented with melodic
punk originals in a suburban
Chicago basement. Prior t...

Screeching Weasel

Along with the Queers,
Chicago's Screeching
Weasel set the snotty vocal,
Ramones rip-off standard
for Punk-Pop. Screeching...

Sum 41

Sum 41's sound may stem
from SoCal punk, but the
band is actually from
Ontario, Canada. Frontman
Deryck Whibley has had...

The Dickies

Like a comic book version
of a Punk band, the Dickies'
specialized in sometimes
goofy, often bouncy,
catchy as hell Punk.

The Donnas

From playing cheeky, lo-fi
Garage to swanky, strutting
Hard Rock, the Donnas have
maintained a loyal, drooling
fanbase. The Donnas wer...

The Queers

Centered around Joe King,
the Queers have been
blasting catchy, moronic
Punk-Pop since 1982,
before many fans were b...

The Starting Line

The Starting Line's chunky
punk pop pits frenzied
music against heartfelt
lyrics resulting in
arena-sized, anthemic ho...

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