Although the year is 2021 and pop punk is very out of style, I still love it. These days there’s a lot of music to choose from by amazing artists. You can turn on the radio and hear amazing rap, R&B, pop, rock, indie, and so many more types of music. Although I’ve grown an appreciation for all of these types of music and love exploring new artists, something always brings me back to classic pop punk.
My love for pop punk music started around middle school. Like so many of us, in middle school I was desperate to define myself and establish an identity of my own. The first time I heard Fall Out Boy, I was immediately hooked. It sounded so different than all of the other pop music playing on the radio circa 2011. The upbeat tempo, layers of sounds, emotive vocals, and heavy drums immediately sold me on the band. From there, I learned there was a whole world of pop punk music to explore.
Over the next few years, I would spend hours diving back into the archives of classic pop punk. I spent this time getting to know classics, like Green Day and Blink 182, and kept falling further in love with the genre. One of my favorite things about pop punk is that there are so many really talented small artists to discover within the genre. Every day, I discover a new incredibly talented band that I struggle to believe isn’t mainstream. However, the pop punk community is so supportive that larger, more mainstream bands are always promoting other bands to be discovered.
Pop punk music is nostalgic and familiar, yet always new and exciting. Pop punk was definitely a common sound in the late ’90s and early 2000s, so in that sense it is a very nostalgic genre. When you hear songs like Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue,” you can’t help but be brought back to 2003. Therefore, the whole sound of the genre has a very nostalgic feel.
Furthermore, pop punk music has some very defining features, such as heavy drums and bass, as well as the iconic “pop punk voice.” With these features and more making an appearance in almost every song by every band in the genre, pop punk manages to feel very familiar, even with new music.
Overall, my love for pop punk will never fade, for it will always be a genre that reminds me of my childhood, and a genre that is both fun and familiar. The good news for me is that pop punk has started to make a little bit of a comeback due to the rise of “alt culture” on TikTok. Suddenly, “Put a Finger Down, Pop Punk Edition” challenges and “It was never a phase mom, it’s a lifestyle” videos featuring All Time Low’s “Dear Maria, Count Me In” are all over my For You Page.
In conclusion, I must concur with the videos on my For You Page: pop punk was, in fact, never a phase, and will always be a lifestyle.
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