Pop-punk is getting its reboot with the artistry of rappers, new age punk rockers, and Tik Tok stars at the forefront.
Machine Gun Kelly’s 2019 rap album Hotel Diablo ends on an unexpected note: a hard and fast rocky collab with new age British rocker Yungblud and blink-182’s Travis Barker titled “I Think I’m OKAY.” This track was a precursor to MGK’s 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall, which is a take on pop-punk for the new decade and musical landscape where rap and trap dominate. Features on the album include Trippie Redd, Halsey, iann dior, and of course, executive producer Travis Barker.
The rock and rap crossover, however, goes back way further than MGK. In 1986, rap group RUN-DMC and 1970s rockers Aerosmith collaborated for a remix of the band’s song “Walk This Way.” The new version featured a rap verse and representative music video of the two groups breaking down a recording studio wall that stood between them. RUN-DMC introduced themselves to a new audience, and Aerosmith revitalized their career with this revolutionary remix. Pop-punk as a genre peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s with artists like blink-182, Good Charlotte, Green Day, and Avril Lavigne.
So, if rap and rock have already crossed over, and pop-punk peaked, why is 2021 pop-punk so significant?
The answer is that the genre is now a snowball of everything it has evolved from, and it’s being propelled by blink-182 drummer Travis Barker who has executive producing credits on most of the new era tracks. 2021 pop-punk incorporates trap beats (808s), the darker lyrics of emo rap (launched from SoundCloud rap), the catchy hooks from the early 2000s artists, and the overarching inspiration from last century’s rap-rock. On top of that, it’s popular again.
What partially contributes to this popularity is the status of the artists creating it. For example, listeners who already knew MGK would be willing to give his new direction a listen. Tik Tokers like LIL HUDDY (Chase Hudson) and jxdn (Jaden Hossler), who have audiences of millions, are also dipping their toes into making pop-punk music under Travis Barker’s production. This popularity by association is opening a space for new artists in the genre. If Chase or Jaden’s music is the first a person has heard, then maybe they will explore more music like theirs. Hopefully, pop-punk in 2021 will also incorporate more diversity, such as with artists like Meet Me At The Altar.
So, grab your black skinny jeans and get ready for guitars because pop-punk is back!