Pop-punk

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Pop punk is a fusion genre describing artists who combine the catchy attributes of some of the original punk rock groups with trends in contemporary pop music. Unlike original punk rock music, which primarily grew between New York City and London, pop punk was more decentralized, developing in cities scattered throughout the world. This style, however, is most prominent in America. The most recognizable pop punk groups today include Green Day, blink-182, The Offspring, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory. Pop punk effectively, retrospectively, has also been used to describe some of the original punk rock groups such as The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, and The Misfits.

Usage and Related Styles

Punk rock is distinguished by its aficionados who maintain a constant level of energetic activity. Apart from bands; zines, flyers, t-shirts, radio shows, websites, distributors, promoters, photographers, filmmakers, artists, and others provide space for communication. In this space, the term pop punk (sometimes written as pop-punk) is both universally acknowledged, yet simultaneously, largely despised, mirroring similar attitudes toward emo. Due to this, individuals within have strived to distance themselves from the negative connotations associated with the style. An example of this is the term "buzzpop" which is used by some within the underground to describe independent pop punk, meaning bands who have maintained strong connections to their place of origin and typically are in no way connected to a major label. Mainstream music critics have largely ignored the term, while opting instead for the dubiously similar replacement of "punk-pop."

Pop punk can sometimes be indistinguishable from power pop, cali-punk, skate punk, punk revival, and others. Additionally, pop punk has been fused with other genres such as alternative pop, Christian punk, college rock, dance-punk, emo, frat rock, melodic hardcore, metallic hardcore, riot grrrl, post-hardcore, ska punk, surf-punk, and others. Finally, pop punk is considered a subgenre of punk rock, pop music, alternative rock, and, of course, rock and roll.

There is considerable confusion over the use of the term. The confusion is further complicated by the quantity of related bands, isolated locations, and individual writers who have used it. Pop punk has been primarily used to define or to describe. This distinction is made evident when considering The Ramones who were never defined as pop punk during their active years, but who are now described as pop punk in reference to their influence.

In light of it's usage bands dating from approximately 1975-1987, during the formation of punk and hardcore, may be described as pop punk. Bands dating from 1987-1994 may be either described and/or defined as pop punk, but it should be noted that until 1994 pop punk was confined to artists within the punk/hardcore scene. Bands from 1994-today may also be both defined and/or described as pop punk, but they no longer necessarily originated from within the punk/hardcore scene, as these artists formed after the mainstream acceptance of pop punk.

Lastly, pop punk is occasionally used when considering pop artists who have borrowed ideas, fashion accessories, and musical stylings from punk at large. Some of these artists, such as Gwen Stefani and Björk, have been involved in the scene since the late 70s and 80s. Others, such as Hilary Duff and Avril Lavigne, have only recently been aware of punk rock. These ever more visible punk references from pop culture further elevate the tension between the underground punk scene and mainstream society.

History

1970s

Pop punk (sometimes known as buzzpop) is used to describe a style of punk rock which incorporates pop leanings. It emerged at the on-set of punk rock in 1974 with the first punk rock band, The Ramones, though the New York Dolls were also influenced by girl groups. The Ramones were fans of The Beatles, 1960s Bubblegum pop and 1960s Garage rock. During 1975 their sped-up buzz saw, loud and fast, minimalistic melodic rock differentiated them from the other groups that were dominating New York City's local music scene.

Though The Ramones themselves would never have a number 1 hit, and never crossed over completely to mainstream culture, they would set the musical standard for both punk and what was to become known as pop-punk. In addition, power-pop bands like The Raspberries, Pezband, The Records, The Sweet and especially The Nerves showed elements that laid the groundwork for pop-punk.

In Britain, the best-known examples of Pop-punk were The Undertones and Buzzcocks. Both bands featured catchy hooks and lyrics centered around teenage romantic issues. The Rezillos The Boys, and the Only Ones are also excellent examples of early Pop-punk. On the somewhat harder-edged side of things, there were bands like 999, The Vibrators, The Adicts, and The Lurkers. Many Mod Revival bands also displayed Pop-punk elements, particularly The Chords and The Purple Hearts.

Genre origins

The term was first used in the late 80s in such publications as Maximum RocknRoll and other fanzines of the underground music scene. A number of bands had emerged playing rudimentary music influenced by both the original punk groups who layed the foundation and the subsequent hardcore bands. Artists such as The Descendents, The Vandals, Sweet Baby, Hard-Ons, The Doughboys, and others, diverged from hardcore and sought a middle ground between the original punks and the strictness of hardcore. They achieved this by referencing the more fun, ridiculous aspects of the original punks to separate themselves from the more serious hardcore.

This emerging form remained in obscurity for several years until Nirvana's album Nevermind was released in 1991. This album not only defined grunge, (a fusion of metal, indie, hardcore, and punk), but it set the stage for pop punk's mainstream acceptance. 1994 was a defining year for the pop punk genre as several events coincided to propel it. Green Day, who had been turning down offers from major labels for several years while simultaneously getting lambasted from within the underground scene signed with Reprise Records releasing Dookie in February, the popularity of Dookie swelled, and attention spilled over to similar groups such as NOFX, Bad Religion, Rancid, and notably The Offspring, who released their album Smash weeks later, on April 19th.

The lighthearted, sarcastic bratiness of these bands provided a significant opposition to the darker, moody, depression offered by much of grunge. By the end of year, Dookie and Smash together had sold millions of units and pop punk become a popular force for mainstream consumption in the United States, helped by the bands's heavy rotation on MTV, and popularity in music magazines..

Underground pop punk

Parallel to the influx of mainstream pop punk bands, there are still a number that remain underground. A term that has arisen to define this non-commercial vein of modern pop-punk has been buzzpop, with punk rock and pop-punk consultant Mitch Clem advocating the term.

Newer bands include, the likes Groovie Ghoulies from California, Screeching Weasel from Chicago, The Zatopeks from England, Some Garage Band from Defiance, Ohio, and Pickled Dick from the UK have obtained a large fanbase without following the mainstream. Redscare Records is also emerging as a new label dedicated only to pop punk acts (For a partial listing of current underground bands see the Independent Pop Punk section. Also check out the whole Mutant Pop catalog. below).

The UK, is enjoying a rejuvinant Pop Punk scene, with household name records band Captain Everything leading the way. In the punk community, listening to underground pop punk does not always have the stigma attached to listening to their mainstream pop punk revival counterparts.

Notable pop punk artists/bands

See list of pop punk bands.