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Pop punk
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Pop punk (also known as punk pop and other names) is a fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. It is typically referred to as a strand of alternative rock that combines power-pop melodies and chord changes with speedy punk tempos and loud guitars.
It is not clear when the term pop punk was first used, but pop-influenced punk rock had been around since the mid to late 1970s; performed by bands such as the Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Clash, The Undertones, and Descendents.
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Encyclopedia
Pop punk (also known as punk pop and other names) is a fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. It is typically referred to as a strand of alternative rock that combines power-pop melodies and chord changes with speedy punk tempos and loud guitars.
It is not clear when the term pop punk was first used, but pop-influenced punk rock had been around since the mid to late 1970s; performed by bands such as the Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Clash, The Undertones, and Descendents. Bad Religion, who started in 1980, were another early band to play the genre, and some consider them godfathers of pop punk. In the mid-1990s, the Northern California-based pop punk bands Green Day, and Rancid as well as the Southern California-based pop punk bands The Offspring, and Blink-182, achieved worldwide commercial success, and the genre's association with the the Southern California area has led to the term SoCal sound.
From the mid-1990s onwards, some bands associated with the genre have been described as happy punk, faux-punk, mall punk, pseudo-punk, bubblegum punk or surf punk.
History
Origins (1974-1980s)
The pop punk style emerged at the onset of punk rock around 1974, with the Ramones; however it was not considered a separate subgenre until later. The Ramones' loud and fast melodic minimalism differentiated them from other bands in New York City's budding art rock scene. Protopunk and power pop bands had also helped lay the groundwork for the pop punk sound. An early use of the term pop punk appeared in a 1977 New York Times article, Cabaret: Tom Petty's Pop Punk Rock Evokes Sounds of 60's. By 1977 in the United Kingdom, punk rock had already become a much more active and concentrated movement than in New York City. The Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Rezillos and The Shapes featured catchy melodies and lyrics that sometimes dealt with relatively light themes such as teenage romance. Many mod revival bands also displayed pop punk leanings.
By 1981, hardcore punk had emerged in the United States, with louder, faster music than the songs played by punk bands. Vocal harmony, melodic instrumentation and 4/4 drumming were replaced with shouting, discordant instrumentation, and experimental rhythms. A few bands began to combine hardcore with pop music to create a new, faster pop punk sound, sometimes referred to as popcore (or skatecore), such as Descendents and The Vandals. Their positive, yet sarcastic approach began to separate them from the more serious hardcore scene. The term pop punk was used in the 1980s, in publications such as Maximum RocknRoll, to describe bands similar to Social Distortion, Agent Orange, and TSOL.
Underground pop punk (early 1990s and later)
Pop punk in the United States underwent a resurgence in the early/mid 1990s. Though often regarded as the most mainstream of punk music styles, many pop punk bands retained a D.I.Y. approach to their music. As pop punk at that time was not commercially viable, no major record label would sign a pop punk band until Green Day's breakthrough in 1994. Both these factors contributed to the emergence of a number of independent record labels, often run by people in bands in order to release their own music and that of their friends.
These labels, particularly Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph, had a lot of success after the rise of Green Day and The Offspring brought in a new audience for pop punk, leading to criticism by some of leaving behind their independent punk roots and becoming similar to major labels, picking bands with little artistic merit because they would sell well (this homogenous mid 90s pop punk sound is often referred to as the 'epifat' sound). Despite this, the bands that put out records with Lookout!, Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords defined the sound of modern pop punk and were hugely influential on the genre.
As well as these large independent record labels, many smaller pop punk labels emerged all over the United States.
Popular acceptance (1994-1997)
In February 1994, Green Day released Dookie, the band's first album on a major label after starting out on the independent Lookout! Records. The first single, "Longview", instantly became a hit on MTV and modern rock stations across America and the UK. Following the success of their first single, Green Day released "Basket Case", which became an even bigger hit. Other hits from the album included "When I Come Around", "Welcome to Paradise" and "She". Dookie sold 10 million copies in the US and 20 million copies worldwide. Green Day performed at Woodstock '94 and on Saturday Night Live, and appeared on the covers of Spin and Rolling Stone. They won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
Shortly after the release of Dookie, The Offspring released the album Smash on the independent label Epitaph Records. The first single "Come Out and Play", with a pop punk sound that differed from their earlier work, became popular first on radio and later on MTV. Other singles, "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away", sold well. The album sold over 14 million copies worldwide, setting a record for most albums sold on an independent label.
By the end of the year, Dookie and Smash had sold millions of copies. The commercial success of these two albums attracted major label interest in pop punk, with bands such as Rancid and Bad Religion being offered lucrative contracts to leave their independent record labels. Rancid, while sticking with Epitaph Records, achieved some commercial success with the hits "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb" from their album ...And Out Come The Wolves, which eventually went platinum.
In the mid-1990s, a ska punk revival was taking place, led by bands such as Sublime and Rancid. Some ska punk, such as that recorded by Goldfinger and Less Than Jake, shared many characteristic of pop punk, such as an upbeat sound.
By 1997, pop punk's audience had expanded significantly. Green Day's song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", from their album Nimrod, brought pop punk to new levels of mainstream acceptance. The song featured Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong playing acoustic guitar and singing heartfelt lyrics backed by violins. The song was used in one of the final episodes of Seinfeld in 1998, exposing Green Day's music to a wider audience. Also in 1997, Blink-182 released their second album and first commercial hit, Dude Ranch. It included two of the trio's most popular songs at the time, "Dammit" and "Josie".
Continued mainstream ascent (1998-2003)
In 1998, The Offspring released the album Americana. This period of The Offspring's career is generally seen as their mainstream peak. The band released their next album Conspiracy of One (2000) on Napster before they released it on Columbia Records, sacrificing album sales so their fans could enjoy their music for free. Americana went platinum many times over, and produced hit singles and videos such as; "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get A Job?", and "The Kids Aren't Alright".
In 1999, trio Blink-182 released Enema of the State, which sold over 12 million copies worldwide. The album had three hit singles, including the #1 Single "All The Small Things" and the #2 singles "What's My Age Again?", and "Adam's Song". Like Green Day five years before them, Blink-182 inspired teens to jam out catchy, fun, four-chord pop punk tunes. Also in 1999, Lit released their second album A Place in the Sun which peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "My Own Worst Enemy" which spent 11 weeks at #1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 2001, Blink-182's album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket was released and debuted at #1 on the Billboard album charts and sold over four million copies in the US. The album produced the modern rock and TRL hits "The Rock Show", "First Date", and "Stay Together For The Kids". In 2002, Blink-182 co-headlined one of the biggest tours in pop-punk history: the successful Pop Disaster Tour with Green Day.
Contemporary mainstream pop punk (2003 and later)
In 2003, Blink-182 released an untitled album, which garnered the band several hits, such as "Feeling This", Always, Down and "I Miss You." The band went on hiatus in 2005, with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker founding the pop punk/alternative rock band +44, and Tom Delonge starting the alternative rock group Angels & Airwaves, along with other bands members. Some pop punk bands started playing a lyrically darker style of music, sometimes described as emo (although this was a reappropration of a term that had been in use much longer). In 2003, Florida pop punk band Yellowcard released the album Ocean Avenue and the hit singles "Ocean Avenue", "Way Away" and "Only One". New Found Glory released Catalyst in 2004, which included the hit, "All Downhill from Here." Although some songs on the album expanded on the band's hardcore influences, other songs added synthesizers and keyboards. Good Charlotte released their album The Chronicles of Life and Death in 2004. The album was less commercially successful than their previous effort, but it produced the hit singles "Predictable" and "I Just Wanna Live".
In October 2004, Sum 41 released the album Chuck, which mixed pop punk with several other genres, including thrash metal, alternative rock, hardcore and had some slower-paced songs. Their first single, "We're All to Blame," reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts, and the single "Pieces" topped the charts in Canada. Also in 2004, Green Day released the politically-driven rock opera American Idiot. The singles "American Idiot", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday", and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" received international airplay and MTV video rotation. In July 2007, Sum 41 released Underclass Hero, which sounded more like their album All Killer No Filler than their heavier albums such as Chuck. Also in 2007, MxPx released their eighth studio album, Secret Weapon, which signified a return to their punk rock roots.
In 2009, Blink-182 announced that they were reuniting and working on a new album.
See also
Footnotes
External links
- - includes information about early pop punk bands
- - news and information about contemporary pop punk bands
- - article about pop punk music
- -article about the Buzzcock's role in developing pop punk genre
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