The Best Pop-Punk Bands To Ever Take The Stage
Pop-punk is a genre of rock that blends the genres of pop and punk to create something totally new. Its stylistically similar to rock and roll with distorted electric guitars, fast tempos, and power chords. However, it differs in the sense that it has pop-like melodies with the subject of the songs usually being about young love or teenage angst. The genre can be traced back to the punk scene in the 1980s and exploded in popularity in the early 90s and throughout the 2000s. Today, pop-punk is still beloved by many, so check out which of the bands have withstood the test of time and truly made a mark on the genre.
Sum 41 Was Originally Kaspir
Initially known as Kaspir, Sum 41 formed in 1996 and consists of the members Deryck Whibley, Dave Baksh, Tom Thacker, Jason McCaslin, and Frank Zummo. The band released their debut album All Killer No Filler in 2001, after signing with Island Records in 1999. The album turned out to be a mainstream success, and the group continued growing in popularity.
So far, they have six studio albums with their latest album, Order in Decline, expecting to be released in July 2019. They are known to play more than 300 shows a year, have won two Juno Awards, and have been nominated for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012.
The Offspring Have Been Around For Over 35 Years
Hailing from Garden Grove, California, The Offspring was formed over 35 years ago under the name Manic Subsidal. Although there have been lineup changes throughout the years, the most changes have been with the drummers with many staying with the band for several years before leaving.
The band officially formed in 1984 and are credited with making pop-punk mainstream in the 1990s. Today, the Offspring have sold more than 40 million albums, making them one of the most successful pop-punk band of all time. They have released nine albums and are rumored to be working on their tenth.
Blink-182 Is A Pioneer Of The Genre
Forming in 1992 in Poway, California, Blink-182 quickly grew in popularity, best-known for their energetic shows and relatable lyrics. After releasing their debut album, Cheshire Cat, they signed with MCA Records. Their next two albums were major successes, receiving a lot of help from MTV.
After Tom DeLonge left the group in 2005, the band went on an "indefinite hiatus," although they reunited in 2009. According to The New York Times, "No punk band of the 1990s has been more influential than Blink-182." The group has been cited as an influence for many of the current pop-punk bands of today.
Fall Out Boy Have Been Going Strong Since Their Inception
Coming together in the suburbs of Chicago in 2001, Fall Out Boy is composed of Patrick Stump, Andy Hurley, Joe Troham, and Pete Wentz. Their first album in 2003, Take This To Your Grave, was a hit in the underground punk community, eventually leading to mainstream success.
In 2005, the group released From Under the Cork Tree, which contained "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "Dance, Dance, Dance," two of the band's most popular hits, earning them a nomination for Best New Artists at the Grammys. Over the years, despite a three-year hiatus, the band continued to grow in popularity, establishing itself as one of the most successful pop-punk bands of the era.
Green Day Is One Of The Most Successful Of Their Time
Green Day got its start at the DIY 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. They came together as a group in 1986 with drummer Tre Cool being replaced by John Kiffmeyer in 1990. After signing with Reprise Records in 1994 and releasing their album Dookie, the group became a major success, selling more than 10 million records in the United States alone.
At this point, Green Day has won five Grammy Awards, sold more than 85 million records worldwide, and has been ranked 91st on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, the first year that they were eligible.
My Chemical Romance Called It Quits In 2013
Forming in Newark, New Jersey, and between 2001 and 2013, My Chemical Romance's best-known lineup consisted of Gerald Way, Ray Toro, Frank Lero, Mikey Way, and Bob Bryar. After a stint with Eyeball Records, the band later signed with Reprise, and their music career began to take off.
Their third record, The Black Parade went on to be certified double platinum in the United States and the UK, establishing the group as an international hit. Although they were still relevant, the group announced its dissolution just one month after the release of their final song in the Conventional Weapons series in 2013.
Paramore Proved That Girls Can Do It Too
Coming together in 2004, Paramore is fronted by Hayley Williams and backed by Taylor York and Zac Farro. Impressively, the band's 2005 debut album, All We Know Is Falling, peaked at No.4 on the UK Rock Chart in 2009 and No.30 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart in 2006. The band's second album, Riot! contained many of their biggest hits such as "Misery Business," Cushcrushcrush," and "That's What You Get."
The album went on to go platinum in the United States and earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2008. The group continued to have major success in the following years, although they haven't released a studio album since 2017.
New Found Glory Helped Shape The 2000s
Forming in 1997, New Found Glory is made up of Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka, Chad Gilbert, and Cyrus Bolooki. Their first studio album Nothing Gold Can Stay was released in 1999, however, their first major self-titled studio album was released in 2000. In 2002, their album Sticks and Stones hit the mainstream with their popularity continually rising with each newly released album.
They are considered to be pioneers in the pop-punk movement and were described by AllMusic as "practically serving alongside the work of Blink-182 as the blueprint to the entire genre for the early 2000s."
Panic! At The Disco Is Run By Brendon Urie
Releasing demos while in high school in the early 2000s, Panic! at the Disco released their debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, in 2005. The album's second single, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" is arguably the band's biggest hit, becoming double platinum in 2006.
Over the years, the band's style underwent changes as well as their lineup with Brendon Urie being the only consistent member of the band. Although they've been around for over a decade, they are still consistently taking home awards, winning Billboard's Top Rock Album and Song in 2019.
All Time Low Was At An All-Time High
Starting in high school, All Time Low was officially formed in 2003 after signing with the label Emerald Moon. Their name is taken from the lyrics of the song "Head on Collision" by New Found Glory, a group that would inspire the band sonically and lyrically as well.
They released their debut EP The Three Words to Remember in Dealing with the End in 2004, and have since released seven studio albums. To this day, the band still headlines tours and appears at festivals such as Soundwave, Warped Tour, and more.
Yellowcard Shake Things Up With A Violin
Moving from Jacksonville, Florida to Los Angeles in 2000, Yellowcard separated itself from other bands at the time with the use of the violin. While this instrument may seem random for a pop-punk band, it helped the band stand out and contributed to its success.
The group is best-known for their hits "Ocean Avenue," "Lights and Sounds," and "Only One," but released ten albums during their time together. Their final album was released in 2016, and their final show was on March 25, 2017.
Good Charlotte Was Inspired By Beastie Boys
Good Charlotte was formed in Waldorf, Maryland in 1996 after brothers Joel and Benji Madden saw Beastie Boys live. The band has seven released studio albums with Bruce brit describing their music as "the hard-charging fury of skate-punk, the melodiousness of pop, and the spooky, mascara-smeared sensibilities of '80s goth."
According to Benji Madden, the sound they were going for was a "combination of Backstreet Boys and Minor Threat." Although the band took a hiatus in 2011, they announced their comeback in 2015 and are still playing today.
Jimmy Eat World Have Been Around For A While
Originally from Arizona, Jimmy Eat World is composed of Jim Atkins, Tom Linton. Rick Burch, and Zach Lind. The band rose to popularity after the release of their 2001 album Bleed American, featuring four singles that would become major hits.
The track "The Middle" on the album even went on to reach No.1 on the Alternative Songs chart. So far, their band has released an impressive nine studio albums, however, their sixth album Chase the Light is their most successful, peaking at No.5 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Motion City Soundtrack Is A Veteran Of The Warped Tour
In 1997, Motion City Soundtrack was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the height of their career, the band was known to tour heavily as well as produce music, releasing six studio albums.
Their breakthrough album was Commit This to Memory in 2005 and soon after, they became a staple of Warped Tour. The band continued to make music until 2016, one year after the release of their final album Panic Stations. Yet, the two announced a reunion in 2019.
Taking Back Sunday Made It Big With One Hit
Coming together in Long Island, New York in 1999, Taking Back Sunday achieved mainstream success after their 2006 album Louder Now. This is mostly attributed to the popularity of the album's single "MakeDamnSure."
The album almost sold 1 million copies, yet managed to peak at No.2 on the Billboard 200. Although the group has had numerous lineup changes over the years, they have continued to make music with their seventh and latest album being released in 2016.
A Day To Remember Is A Mix Of Genres
Founded in Ocala, Florida by Tom Denney and Bobby Scruggs, A Day to Remember has been described as a combination between metalcore and pop punk. After just two albums, the band began to tour around the United States as well as internationally and have been doing so ever since.
When asked about their music, Jeremy McKinnon replied, "Everyone told us mixing the two genres wouldn't work. Hell, a lot of people still feel that way. We've just always played what we wanted to hear, and to be honest, people weren't doing it back then. We loved pop punk, we loved hardcore bands, and we couldn't decide what to be. So we said [expletive] it. Let's do them both.
Relient K Are Loved By Both Christians And Non Religious Audiences
Formed by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman in Canton, Ohio, Relient K was created during their third year of high school in 1998. The band gets its name from Matt Hoopes' car, a Plymouth Reliant K, although the group changed the spelling. They are regarded as a contemporary Christian rock band, although they are known to play with secular bands and are well-liked by non-Christian audiences.
In 2004, Relient K earned a Grammy nomination for the Best Rock Gospel Album and won two Dove Awards. Altogether, they have nine studio albums with three of them peaking in the top 15 of the Billboard 200 chart.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Was Created In Music Theory Class
The idea for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus began back when Ronnie Winter and Duke Kitchens had AP music theory together back in 2001. However, the group was officially formed in 2003 and their name was chosen after voting on random words that they hung on the wall.
The band's big break came from their 2006 single "Face Down" off their album Don't You Fake It although they have five studio albums. They also took advantage of newly-emerging social media to help advertise their music, something not all bands were using at the time.
5 Seconds Of Summer Started Out As YouTube Stars
Hailing from Australia, 5 Seconds of Summer was established in 2011 consisting of Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin. However, the group was famous before they were a band as they were YouTube celebrities who built a following covering other artists' music.
However, they gained international attention when they went on tour with One Direction. They have since released three albums as well as headlined three world tours. Currently, the group is working on their fourth album and won iHeartRadio Music Awards' Best Duo/Group of the Year in 2019.
Brand New Gained Success Quickly
Coming together in 2000 in Long Island, New York, Brand New is regarded as one of the most influential bands of its time in the alternative rock scene. Initially, Jesse Lacey, Garrett Tierney, and Brian Lane were in the band The Rookie Lot. However, they decided to start their own band and Brand New was born.
They signed to Triple Crown Records where their first two singles "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" and "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" receiving airplay on MTV2 and Fuel TV. This greatly helped spread the band's popularity and help them grow to where they are today. It's was hinted that the band was going to break up back in 2018.
