Sum 41

For many years now pop-punk has been one of my very favorite musical genres. I’ve attended many pop punk gigs throughout the years and have also listened to a huge amount of pop-punk albums. I love pop punk to such a huge extent that I’ve even set up my own pop punk website! I hope that my love for the genre shines through here as I compile my list of the bands that I personally perceive to be the top 10 pop punk bands of all time.

So then, read on to find out the 10 bands that I personally believe to be the best pop-punk bands of all time. If I was compiling a list of purely ‘punk’ bands then this list would obviously have a very different feel to it, this however is a list of the best bands of the pop-punk genre, so read on, have fun, and I hope you enjoy the list that I have here compiled of the top 10 pop punk bands of all time.

1. blink-182

Topping my list is without a shadow of a doubt blink-182. blink-182 work the pop-punk image to perfection; their look is great and their music also simply sensational. There are many excellent pop-punk bands out there that I absolutely love; blink-182 has released so many fantastic albums of pop-punk over the years though that they are in my humble opinion fully deserving of the ‘Best Pop Punk Band of All Time’ tag. blink-182’s ‘Enema of the State’ album is in my opinion the best that the band has ever released, it’s the finest pop-punk album I’ve ever heard and how fitting that this be the case for what I personally consider to be the best pop-punk band of all time. Tracks such as ‘What’s My Age Again’, ‘Dumpweed’, and ‘Anthem’ never fail to make me smile, ‘Enema of the State’ is a great album; a five star release for sure and one that is more than worthy of inclusion in the personal music collections of all.

It is my belief that blink-182 has never released a bad album, the band was originally active between the years of 1992 and 2005; in that time a grand total of five full length studio albums were released, all of which were absolutely excellent and never did the bands music disappoint. ‘Enema of the State’ is the bands most commercially successful album and this is for good reason too, the latter four of the bands five albums during their first spell went at least Platinum however and this I feel was an absolutely excellent achievement on the behalf of blink-182. The blink-182 studio album discography is as follows:

– Cheshire Cat (1994)
– Dude Ranch (1997)
– Enema of the State (1999)
– Take off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
– blink-182 (2003)
– Neighbourhoods (2012)

During the extended hiatus of blink-182 the bands members went on to form two separate bands; the bands guitarist Tom DeLonge formed the alternative rock band Angels & Airwaves whilst Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus continued to pursue the pop-punk dream with +44. +44 was only active for 4 years between 2005 and 2009, with the band going on hiatus when blink-182 reformed in 2009. Although +44 ceased to exist once blink-182 had reformed however, Tom Delonge continues to concentrate on both Angels & Airwaves and blink-182, and Angels & Airwaves have to date released a total of four studio albums.

Since reforming in 2009, blink-182 has gone on to release another album, ‘Neighbourhoods’ in 2011, and the band continues to be an absolute driving force in pop-punk. The band may not be to everyone’s tastes, I for one absolutely love them however and feel that as far as pop-punk goes, blink-182 is absolutely the ultimate band.

2. Ramones

You’ll notice here that my number one and number two choices are very different indeed; both bands are ones that I personally would consider to be ‘Pop Punk’ and yet the music the two create is vastly different. The Ramones was one of the very first punk rock bands; the band was started by Dee Dee, Johnny, and Joey; over the years many other people made up that fourth remaining Ramone slot on the drums. Marky Ramone was the Ramones drummer in the main, there were however several spells when he was not featured as a part of the band.

The Ramones truly is a highly influential pop punk band, over the years the band has been an influence to many and was in fact one of the very first bands that got me into the whole spectrum of pop punk and in fact punk rock music on the whole. Sadly the original three members of The Ramones are all now dead; Joey Ramone was the first to pass away in 2001, Dee Dee Ramone followed shortly after in 2002 and lastly Johnny Ramone sadly left this world in 2004. It’s sad that the bands three original members are now all dead, it’s a weird one that even in their passing they were all so close together too; The Ramones was an excellent band, a close friendship of musicians and a whole musical family of Ramones. The following is a list of albums the band released between their active years of 1974 and 1996:

– Ramones (1976)
– Leave Home (1977)
– Rocket to Russia (1977)
– Road to Ruin (1978)
– End of the Century (1980)
– Pleasant Dreams (1981)
– Subterranean Jungle (1983)
– Too Tough to Die (1984)
– Animal Boy (1986)
– Halfway to Sanity (1987)
– Brain Drain (1989)
– Mondo Bizarro (1992)
– Acid Eaters (1993)
– ¡Adios Amigos! (1995)

For those not familiar with the work of The Ramones then I thoroughly suggest giving the bands music a listen; you’ll surely not be disappointed as they truly were a highly talented bunch of musicians and never did the music disappoint. Always the bands sound was packed full of energy, always may ‘Blitzkrieg Pop’ remain to be one of my favourite songs of all time and forever may the music of The Ramones remain close to my heart.

3. Descendents

Whilst Descendents is a band that has actually been going since 1978, due to numerous hiatuses the band has actually been inactive about as much as it has been active. As such, the band has only released 6 studio albums since 1978, despite the small number of albums across a long period of time however, Descendents is still a band that has built up a hugely loyal following over the years, and for very good reason too.

Descendents create intelligently constructed punk-rock tracks, and are one of the leading names in modern pop punk music. Whilst not everyone may consider Descendents to be a purely pop-punk band, they are certainly a band that have helped shape the feel and sound of the genre, and are therefore I feel a very worthy inclusion in this list of the top ten pop punk bands of all time.

The following is a full discography of the Descendents albums released to date:

– Milo Goes to College (1982)
– I Don’t Want to Grow Up (1985)
– Enjoy! (1986)
– All (1987)
– Everything Sucks (1996)
– Cool to Be You (2004)

As well as being an absolutely awesome frontman, Descendents’ lead vocalist Milo Aukerman also holds a doctorate in biochemistry, and concentrated on his education during one of the band’s several hiatuses throughout the years. Milo’s concentration on his University education is noted in the title of the band’s debut studio album ‘Milo Goes to College’.

The band is currently working on a documentary, however as yet there are no plans set in stone to release a seventh studio album.

4. The Offspring

For more than a decade now I have loved the music of The Offpsring. My eldest brother had the bands ‘Smash’ album on CD and from an early age I was therefore exposed to the sweet sound of the voice of Dexter Holland. ‘Smash’ was the bands breakthrough album, their third studio album and one that saw its official release in 1994. The album comes complete with a number of smash hits such as the excellent ‘Bad Habit’, the fantastic ‘Gotta Get Away’, and the pounding beat of ‘Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)’ also. Every track from the ‘Smash’ album is excellent, never is there a dull moment, and always the sound created by the band is here absolutely excellent.

The band has so far released nine studio albums to date, the latest of which being ‘Days Go By’ which was released in June 2012. ‘Smash’ is still the band’s most commercially successful studio album to date, having gone 6x Platinum in both the USA and Canada, and 4x Platinum in Australia, 1998s ‘Americana’ album isn’t too far behind however and is certified 5x Platinum in both Australia and the USA, an incredible 8x Platinum in Canada, and is certified Platinum in the UK also, the only of the band’s album’s to have done so in the UK.

The following is a full discography of Offspring studio albums to have been released to date:

– The Offspring (1989)
– Ignition (1992)
– Smash (1994)
– Ixnay on the Hombre (1997)
– Americana (1998)
– Conspiracy of One (2000)
– Splinter (2003)
– Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)
– Days Go By (2012)

Nine excellent pop punk albums is a pretty hard task to manage, The Offspring is a band that has done it however and long may they continue to release fantastic albums of music. The Offspring is a band ranked third in my personal list, it’s a band that has influenced many and was in fact one of the key bands in the punk revival of the early 1990s along with other such bands as Green Day and Rancid also. Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ album was also released in 1994; another excellent album but in my opinion ‘Smash’ should always be regarded as the ultimate pop punk album of 1994.

5. Green Day

Green Day is a band that has been going now since 1987, the band has been around for over twenty years and still the sound is going strong. ‘American Idiot’ was a huge commercial success in 2004, I personally wasn’t a fan of this release but know of plenty that are. My main interest is in the early music of Green Day, albums such as ‘Kerplunk’, ‘Dookie’, and ‘Insomniac’; ‘Insomniac’ is in fact my favourite album that Green Day has ever released and a release that even to this day I am still hugely fond of. Green Day is another pop punk band that has been a massive influence to many, millions of the bands records have been sold all around the world over the years and although the pop punk sound this band creates is incredibly basic it is still one that has mass appeal.

Over the years the Green Day sound has progressively changed and altered, the band has tried out various different angles such as with the folk rock approach of ‘Warning’ but ultimately the bands biggest success has always come when Green Day has stuck to creating simple catchy pop punk tunes. 2004 was a big year for Green Day, they released a huge commercial success in the form of ‘American Idiot’ and also played to packed out venues all around the world. It’s been a great journey for Green Day getting to where they are today, the bands music has influenced many and I personally once regarded Green Day to be my favourite pop punk band. Over the years I have heard many pop punk bands and come to realise that Green Day are not necessarily the best band of their kind, they are however quite a talented three-piece and to date have the following studio albums under their belt:

– 39/Smooth (1990)
– Kerplunk (1992)
– Dookie (1994)
– Insomniac (1995)
– Nimrod (1997)
-Warning (2000)
– American Idiot (2004)
– 21st Century Breakdown (2009)
– ¡Uno! (2012)
– ¡Dos! (2012)
– ¡Tre! (2012)

For those that are not yet familiar with the work of Green Day then I’d highly recommend investing in the bands ‘Insomniac’ album, this I feel is the bands strongest ever album and is the one that I personally have derived the most musical satisfaction from listening to. Green Day is a brilliant band fully deserving of their place in this list, over the years Green Day has churned out some terrific musical releases and success came for the band with the release of 1994s ‘Dookie’. Although ‘Insomniac’ was not so well received as ‘Dookie’ I do still feel that this is the ultimate Green Day album to give a listen to; it’s a fine release of music packed full of raw and energetic pop punk classics. The reason Green Day is at number five in this list? Well, it is my belief that ‘American Idiot’ was an absolutely terrible album and the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of bands far more technically superior to Green Day in this world. Green Day is a good pop punk band, not the best that there is but certainly still a very good one. 2009s ’21st Century Breakdown’ definitely had its moments, it wasn’t all good however, and from what I’ve heard of ‘¡Uno!’ I still feel that the band is severely slumping. Maybe there’s more good stuff to come from the band in the future? Who knows? All I know is that the band has released very few tracks in the last decade that I have actually enjoyed, hence their position in my list a little lower down than you’d perhaps expect.

6. New Found Glory

The Floridian pop punk unit New Found Glory has long been a favourite of mine, I’ve seen the band live on several occasions now and always their stage presence and strong musical ability has impressed me hugely. New Found Glory is in my opinion one of the greatest pop punk bands there has ever been, the band has released six studio albums to date and much like most in this list of mine never have their studio releases disappointed. They’ve released a cover album amongst others, always their music is packed full of fun and never is there a dull moment with the fantastic musical releases of New Found Glory. The last release to have emerged from the band was the ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ EP which came out through Bridge Nine Records; it’s an absolutely excellent EP and is I feel one of the finest releases of the year thus far.

Although a pop punk band, the five members of New Found Glory take heavy influence from the genre of hardcore punk and this is therefore a sound that can sometimes permeate within their music. New Found Glory is an absolutely excellent pop punk band, the band has been making music since 1997 and the five members’ tightness as a unit really shines through within the sound. New Found Glory is I feel one of the best bands within its genre, always when the band return with a new release I’m one of the first ones out there making sure that I own the record. So far the band has released the following six studio albums:

– Nothing Gold Can Stay (1999)
– New Found Glory (2000)
– Sticks and Stones (2002)
– Catalyst (2004)
– Coming Home (2006)
– From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II (2007)
– Not Without a Fight (2009)
– Radiosurgery (2011)
– Resurrection (2014)

With each New Found Glory album the voice of the bands front man Jordan Pundik just seems to get better and better, each time the band emerges the sound created seems to be ever stronger and never does New Found Glory ever seem to stop growing in strength. The continued progression of New Found Glory is I feel one of the main reasons that the band is deserving of a place in this list of mine today; the music of New Found Glory is excellent and the fact that it gets so much better with each and every release really is a fantastic quality to hear. Some bands start off good and never really progress much further, this certainly can’t be said of New Found Glory as never does this band seem to stop growing and always in fact the sound created is furthered to even more phenomenal heights of magnificence.

I love the music of New Found Glory, I highly recommend giving a few of their tracks a listen and the truth is that the band has released many an exceptional album over the years. When I think of New Found Glory the first tracks that spring to mind are the following; ‘Hit or Miss’, ‘My Friends Over You’, ‘Dressed to Kill’, and ‘Failure’s Not Flattering’. All four of these tracks are absolutely fantastic, definitely give these a listen and I’m sure that you shall not be disappointed with what you hear.

7. NOFX

NOFX is a pop punk band that always has had a loyal fan base of many, over the years the band has released some excellent pieces of music and the greatest NOFX track I can think of is without doubt ‘Timmy the Turtle’. So many fine albums have emerged from NOFX over the years, a few clangers also but on the whole the NOFX sound has been really rather strong. The lyrics are fun, the music tends not to be serious, and when you listen to a NOFX track you can just relax back and have a good laugh as you take in the bands light-hearted lyrics. In 2002 the band joined together with Rancid for the BYO Split Series and each band put to record six songs originally by the other band. Rancid covered such fantastic NOFX tracks as ‘Bob’, ‘Don’t Call Me White’ and ‘Stickin’ In My Eye’, whilst NOFX played out excellent Rancid songs such as ‘Radio’, ‘I’m The One’, and ‘Tenderloin’. Both Rancid and NOFX were similarly important in my personal progression into the world of pop punk, NOFX was always the band that I loved most however and for that reason NOFX must definitely be ranked higher in the list.

When I first started listening to pop punk/punk rock albums it was releases like ‘S&M Airlines’, ‘Punk in Drublic’, and ‘Heavy Petting Zoo’ that appealed to me most. A number of NOFX albums were on constant repeat in my household and never could I listen to enough music from the band. Every second of the day I wanted to spend listening to music, I still do in fact; when I was first entering into the punk rock world it was NOFX albums that shaped my love of the genre however and for this I highly rate the band. The music of NOFX is hugely accessible, the tracks are catchy but the lyrics often convey important messages and morals also. When listening to a NOFX record it’s really quite an educational experience; the music is of an incredibly high quality and the lyrics also really speak out to you and stand out strongly in the bands sound. To date the band has released a total of twelve studio albums and the following are those that have been unleashed upon the world:

– Liberal Animation (1988)
– S&M Airlines (1989)
– Ribbed (1991)
– White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean (1992)
– Punk in Drublic (1994)
– Heavy Petting Zoo (1996)
– So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes (1997)
– Pump up the Valuum (2000)
– The War on Errorism (2003)
– Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing (2006)
– Coaster (2009)
– Self Entitled (2012)

Over the years there is no doubt in my mind that NOFX is a band that has influenced many, the members of NOFX have been making music together as a band since 1983 and still they seem to be loving it as much as ever. It’s great to see such an enthusiastic and energetic band, it’s refreshing to see a group of individuals still loving making music together after over twenty five years of doing so. Many marriages last far less time than this band has been together, ten albums in and the sound created is still strong and NOFX remains to be a band with plenty to offer. The band is perhaps now past its best, the greatest of the bands albums were now released many years ago but NOFX is a band that I do still feel is thoroughly deserving of a place in this list of the top ten pop punk bands of all time. The music of NOFX is always full of fun, perhaps take the time to listen to an album or two of theirs and then you shall see what I’m talking about here. If I were going to make a recommendation then I’d personally have to pick ‘Punk in Drublic’ or ‘Pump up the Valuum’; give one of these babies a listen and I’m sure that you shall be impressed.

8. Rancid

It would be wrong to include NOFX here without also thinking of Rancid, both bands are ones that I hold in incredibly high regard and each is definitely deserving of a place here in the top ten. Rancid is I feel one of the best pop punk bands of all time, not all of their music is technically pop punk but they are still a hugely popular punk rock band and many of their best tracks do I feel possess a certain element of pop power. ‘…And Out Come the Wolves’ is without doubt the best example of the music of Rancid, it’s an excellent album from start to finish and never with this one is there ever a dull moment. Tracks from this album include ‘Ruby Soho’, ‘Time Bomb’, and ‘Roots Radicals’ also; all of them are excellent and the album does in fact come complete with a grand total of nineteen fantastic punk rock tracks with a heavy dose of pop and a huge hint of ska. Rancid is a brilliant band, ‘…And Out Come the Wolves’ is the best album and is one that I do in fact recommend all to listen to.

Rancid is a band more than capable of producing a high energy pop hook, the band has displayed some great pop sensibilities over the years and always the music has sounded strong as a direct result of this. Rancid is a brilliant band, I personally owe a lot to the music of Rancid; were it not for bands like Rancid, NOFX and Green Day then I never would have discovered many of the other pop punk/punk rock bands that I am into today. The music of Rancid always is packed full of power, the bands tracks never come without energy and passion; this is something that I love about Rancid as always they sing as though they mean it and never does the music come across as at all false. Rancid is a band that produces real heartfelt tracks, fine musical constructions that provide for a fantastic listening experience that always is full of fun. The band began in 1991 and to date the following studio albums have been recorded and released:

– Rancid (1993)
– Let’s Go (1994)
– …And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
– Life Won’t Wait (1998)
– Rancid (2000)
– Indestructible (2003)
– B Sides and C Sides (2008)
– Let the Dominoes Fall (2009)
– …Honor Is All We Know (2014)

Rancid is I feel a band that should rightfully be included in all lists comprising of the best pop punk bands of all time, it truly is an excellent band; one that has remained interesting and current throughout the years and always with a musical sound that is fresh and vibrant. For those that like their pop punk then the music of Rancid should really be considered as essential listening, ‘..And Out Come the Wolves’ is the best album that the band has ever released, many of the bands albums are strong however and always the bands musical output has much to offer. The guitar riffs always are hugely powerful with the music of Rancid, the bands tracks are full of fun and both vocally and instrumentally also the music is and always has been hugely impressive. Search out ‘…And Out Come the Wolves’, give it a listen and prepare to be amazed; it’s one of the best pop punk albums of all time and Rancid is most definitely one of the greatest pop punk bands of all time.

9. Sum 41

Sum 41 is a band that started out with a very much pop punk sound, throughout the years the bands music changed and altered but inevitably the band has now returned to its pop punk roots. Always the band has had pop punk elements about the music, the bands debut and breakthrough record ‘All Killer, No Filler’ is however a pop punk release through and through and a supremely strong record it is too. When ‘All Killer, No Filler’ was first released and ‘Fat Lip’ was a massively successful smash hit of a single; me and my brother use to sing and dance along to it in the living room whenever the video for the track came on T.V. There was a strange cross legged dance and a pogoing in the air dance also; the music is full of fun and my brother and I sure had an excellent time dancing along to the bands music.

Since Sum 41 formed in 1996 the band has already achieved an awful lot. First album ‘All Killer, No Filler’ was a high energy pop punk album, second release ‘Does This Look Infected?’ took more of a rock approach and then with the next album the band progressed even further still into the world of metal. With the bands fourth and most recent studio album Sum 41 returned to its pop punk ways, the album is I feel an absolutely excellent construction of music and draws upon all three of the bands previous albums that came beforehand. In four albums Sum 41 is a band that has achieved a huge amount, a great deal of success has come the bands way and this I feel is something that is fully deserved. Sum 41 is a fine pop punk band; the following is a list of the studio albums that have so far been released by the band and the years that these albums emerged:

– All Killer, No Filler (2001)
– Does This Look Infected? (2002)
– Chuck (2004)
– Underclass Hero (2007)
– Screaming Bloody Murder (2011)

It’s interesting that I should include Sum 41 here, neither ‘Does This Look Infected?’ or ‘Chuck’ are really heavily pop punk based albums; they do however contain certain elements of the genre and ‘All Killer, No Filler’ and ‘Underclass Hero’ are I feel excellent pop punk albums. Before the ‘All Killer, No Filler’ album was released a mini-album titled ‘Half Hour of Power’ emerged, to listen to this is basically a demos album for the tracks that would later appear on the bands first album; the tracks present on this release often contain elements of the music that resides within the bands debut release but the tracks are not quite the finished article and still very much in the demo stage. Recording ‘Half Hour of Power’ before ‘All Killer, No Filler’ did I feel benefit the band hugely; when ‘All Killer, No Filler’ was released the album was incredibly strong and it would seem that ‘Half Hour of Power’ was an EP that gave them the opportunity to try a few tracks out and see what worked best and what was most appreciated by the masses. Sum 41 is a band that I feel is thoroughly deserving of its place here in my personal list of the top ten pop punk bands of all time; Sum 41 is a brilliant band and pop punk classics such as ‘Fat Lip’, ‘Motivation’, ‘Underclass Hero’, and ‘In Too Deep’ are tracks that I feel should be heard by all.

10. Fall Out Boy

Last but not least, the final band I’m picking for the list is that of Fall Out Boy. I was in two minds over whether or not to include them here, it will not be a popular choice with many but then again there are plenty out there that highly appreciate the supreme pop punk tunes of Fall Out Boy. I personally am a massive fan of the band, I wasn’t to begin with but when Fall Out Boy released the ‘From Under the Cork Tree’ album in 2003 it really appealed to me. ‘Take This to Your Grave’ was the first Fall Out Boy album that I ever heard; other than ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy’ the album failed to impress me however and didn’t really go down too well at all with myself. When ‘From Under the Cork Tree’ was released my opinion of the band skyrocketed, it’s an absolutely excellent album and is in fact one of the best pop punk albums of all time in my humble opinion. Tracks such as ‘Dance, Dance’, ‘7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)’, and ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ never fail to make me smile; these tracks are excellent and the album on the whole is in fact fantastic from start to finish.

When Fall Out Boy released ‘Infinity on High’ in 2007 they further solidified their place as one of my favourite pop punk bands of all time, once more the bands music impressed me massively and again the band managed to produce an album that was in all respects absolutely flawless. Given the quality of the bands last two albums, Fall Out Boy is a band that had to be in this list of the top ten pop punk bands of all time and were it not for such a dodgy start to the bands musical career then the band would in fact have appeared a lot higher up in this list of mine. The following is a list of the studio albums that Fall Out Boy has released to date:

– Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out with Your Girlfriend (2002)
– Take This to Your Grave (2003)
– From Under the Cork Tree (2005)
– Infinity on High (2007)
– Folie à Deux (2008)
– Save Rock and Roll (2013)
– American Beauty/American Psycho (2015)

Between 2009 and 2013 Fall Out Boy took a hiatus, the band returned in 2013 with a brand new studio album in ‘Save Rock and Roll’, however, and the band has since gone on to follow this up with a new EP as well in the form of ‘PAX AM Days’, a raw 15 minute offering of exciting punk rock music. It was a disappointing day when Fall Out Boy decided to take a hiatus, now that the band is back it feels like they were never away at all though, and it’ll definitely be interesting to see what more this exciting pop-punk can now provide in the future.