Silly Bandz, artificial highlights, and piercings from Claire’s were all the rage in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Decked out in all their Hot Topic finery, teenagers would sign in to their parents’ laptops and tune into iHeartRadio to hear all the contemporary greats, like Paramore, All Time Low, and My Chemical Romance.
Many of us would spend our summers memorizing the lyrics to songs like “Misery Business” and “Welcome to the Black Parade.” We would embrace being “emo” and rage to the music of the pop-punk bands that made us feel understood. Reveling in the nostalgic sounds of our youth can be quite a trip down memory lane, but nothing really beats the feeling of listening to those songs for the first time.
Unfortunately, that feeling became more and more elusive as pop-punk fizzled out. In 2013, My Chemical Romance broke up, and Paramore went on a four-year hiatus. Just as it felt like the genre’s era was coming to an end, young fans of pop-punk began picking up their own guitars, determined to revitalize the music we missed.
Their efforts may sound different, but they generate the same feeling that once empowered all of us in the early 2010s. And now, the current generation of “angsty teenagers” is discovering the genre for the first time, joining a cultural movement that proved to be a major part of our growing up.
Here are some artists that are at the forefront of this pop-punk revival:
- Chloe Moriondo
Released on May 7, 2021, “Blood Bunny” is a blunt, raving album from Michigan’s Chloe Moriondo. She openly sings about eating boys on “I Eat Boys” and wanting to put her crush in a cage on “Bodybag”. Her dark humor and candid storytelling are what make Moriondo one of the best pop-punk artists out there.
The album is as much as a love letter as it is a “screw you” to people who have hurt us or people we really wish we didn’t like. Her songs will make you laugh at times but they will also make you better understand your own complex feelings.
- Meet Me @ The Altar
One of the biggest things missing from the pop-punk genre has been diversity and inclusivity. During their beginnings, Paramore was considered a rare band because they featured a female lead singer, but in 2022, fans rightfully want more. Meet Me @ The Altar is an all-female, all-black pop-punk band– changing the prototype of a typical pop-punk band.
On “Hit Like A Girl”, they single-handedly destroy the patriarchy and on “Garden”, they sing about the loyalty that can only exist in female friendships. Badass, empowered, and authentic, Meet Me @ The Altar brings the classic sound that only pop-punk can while giving the genre a refreshing and much-needed update to the realities of today.
- WILLOW
Willow Smith has had quite the genre shift. From her 2019 album “WILLOW” to her latest 2021 album “Lately I Feel Everything”, WILLOW has proven that she is not done exploring different sounds.
In “Lately I Feel Everything”, WILLOW makes her foray into the pop-punk genre. The album even features Avril Lavigne, pop-punk queen in her own right, on the song “GROW”, where they ironically sing about how they are not done growing. As Lavigne makes her comeback to the genre, it is heartening to see her joining and supporting new artists as they get their start. After all, Lavigne was the original queen of punk, and she is happily making room for others to join her on her throne.
WILLOW is truly growing as an artist and it’s exciting to see how she continues to evolve her sound.
- LØLØ
Toronto-based artist LØLØ first got her fame on TikTok but since then, her fanbase has grown, with a number of young girls singing along to her self-deprecating and unfortunately relatable lyrics.
“I can’t keep a plant alive even if I tried to”, LØLØ sings on “Death Wish” off of her 2021 “Overkill” EP.
In the age of self-hype songs that attempt to push negative feelings away through toxically positive lyrics and grossly bubblegum pop-esque sounds, LØLØ is a refreshing artist.
She embraces her cynicism and uses it to fuel her satiric songs, showing young girls that it is okay to embrace negativity sometimes. The world can’t always be viewed through rose-colored glasses, so instead, put on your sunglasses, turn up your radio, and revel in your misery for a bit with LØLØ’s pop-punk anthems.
- The Regrettes
Lydia Night, Maxx Morando, Genessa Gariano, and Sage Chavis make up The Regrettes, a band that came together in 2015 when all four were high school teenagers.
In their 2017 song “Ladylike/Whatta Bitch”, Night sings “I heard that girl Lydia is such a fucking bitch. Well, I heard that she’s a feminist so she must not shave her pits.”. Taking cues from the 90s punk RIOT GRRL queens Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, The Regrettes sarcastically denounce the outrageous expectations placed on young girls everywhere.
Since then, their sound has evolved to include more catchy pop melodies and their lyrics have turned to the familiar experience of teenage angst.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the pop-punk movement of today and that of the early 2010s is the sheer diversity. Female representation in the movement used to be abysmal, but now women are dominating the scene. In many ways, today’s movement is much more inclusive, providing young girls with an outlet for their rage.
These are just a few of the artists that are dominating the latest pop-punk revival. Here is a playlist of my favorite songs from each artist:
Tell us who your favorite pop-punk artist is by tagging us @HerCampusSJSU!