Ranking Pop Punk Albums (Part One)
I only still exist on this website to offload pop punk information. Recently decided to go back through a load of pop punk albums to see how they hold up, here's what I found. |
| 34 |  | Various Artists
Punk Goes Pop
Before we get on to the actual ranking there were some albums I listened to for this that upon revisiting I decided were not actually pop punk albums, so here they are first |
| 33 |  | The Offspring
Ixnay on the Hombre
SKATE PUNK |
| 32 |  | The Get Up Kids
Something to Write Home About
EMO-POP |
| 31 |  | My Chemical Romance
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
ALTERNATIVE ROCK / POP ROCK |
| 30 |  | The Offspring
Americana
SKATE PUNK |
| 29 |  | Panic! at the Disco
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
POP ROCK |
| 28 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
WORRY.
POWER POP / PUNK ROCK |
| 27 |  | My Chemical Romance
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
POST-HARDCORE / EMO-POP |
| 26 |  | My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade
ALTERNATIVE ROCK |
| 25 |  | Green Day
¡UNO!
5.2
Yeah, about what I expected, I mean I guess it's ever so slightly better than its reputation would have you believe, starts off decently strong and ends on a solid enough track but most of this is just so by the numbers vaguely 'power pop'-ish pop punk. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone really.
Best Tracks: Nuclear Family, Stay the Night, Oh Love |
| 24 |  | Green Day
Revolution Radio
6.8
An album I was surprised to find was pretty enjoyable considering I haven't heard it pretty much since it released. The album doesn't get off to a great start and the production and mixing overall is pretty ass (specifically ruins tracks like Say Goodbye and Outlaws) but a decent amount of this album is pretty solid, none of it comes close to being the best this band has to offer but enjoyable nonetheless.
Best Tracks: Still Breathing, Bang Bang, Forever Now |
| 23 |  | Green Day
Kerplunk
7.6
Solid early outing from Green Day, more on their pure punk rock-leaning side, nothing too special of an album. just a very enjoyable listen.
Best Tracks: 2000 Light Years Away, Christie Road, No One Knows |
| 22 |  | Green Day
21st Century Breakdown
7.7
Holds up a LOT better than I was expecting it to, the first Green Day album that people really started to jump off on and I can kinda get why but also am a bit confused because this is still a pretty solid album, full of tasteful deviations and experimentation on Green Day's already established sound. Granted it is definitely too long and the concept is paper thin but hey, when it comes to the music you certainly could do a lot worse.
Best Tracks: 21st Century Breakdown, ¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl), 21 Guns |
| 21 |  | Fall Out Boy
Take This to Your Grave
8.4
As solid as this record is I will never understand why so many people consider it the best of the pre-hiatus FOB albums. To me it's easily the worst just due to how samey and one-note it feels, even for its brief 40 minute runtime. But regardless still a great album full of catchy bangers.
Best Tracks: "Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today", Dead on Arrival, Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy |
| 20 |  | Joyce Manor
Joyce Manor
8.4
I know people adore this band and will swear by them being one of the best bands in the scene and I get it but personally this album does run together a little too much for it to connect with me that strongly. That being said it's still a damn fine collection of brief emo-pop bangers and Constant Headache is one of the best emo songs I've ever heard.
Best Tracks: Constant Headache, Constant Nothing, Leather Jacket |
| 19 |  | Green Day
Warning
8.6
Feel like this has a reputation as Green Day's "boring album" but honestly it's anything but. I hadn't heard it in years and I was surprised just how much Green Day experiment on this thing, a lot more of an influence from folk rock and tracks like Misery and Macy's Day Parade show that Green Day are capable of a lot more than just power chords and lyrics about jerking off.
Best Tracks: Waiting, Macy's Day Parade, Blood Sex and Booze |
| 18 |  | Paramore
All We Know Is Falling
8.7
A lot more genuinely emo and post-hardcore-influenced than I ever remembered it being. Incredible amount of visible passion and songwriting capability for such a young age and on their debut no less, unfortunately it does start to lose me a litttle in the second half, bringing it lower than their other albums.
Best Tracks: Emergency, Pressure, Brighter |
| 17 |  | Green Day
Insomniac
8.8
I might get shit for putting this below some of their other albums as I know this is a lot of people's personal favourite GD album and I get why, it's super solid and it's grittier and punkier than pretty much any album in their catalog. Just personally the tracks start to run together at certain points, but still the highs are some of their best.
Best Tracks: Brain Stew, Geek Stink Breath, Stuck With Me |
| 16 |  | Sum 41
All Killer No Filler
9.0
I am as shocked as you most likely are that this ended up so high, I hadn't heard this album in full in years and was expecting a mostly decently fun album with some obvious filler but I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the album pretty much the whole way through, the quality only really dipping for a song or two. Fun as hell album, can't wait to blast it in the summer.
Best Tracks: In Too Deep, Fat Lip, Motivation |
| 15 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
NO DREAM
9.0
This one took some time to grow on me and honestly I prefer the ska version, but this is still a super solid addition to Jeff's catalogue with some of his most fun and catchiest tracks to date.
Best Tracks: The Beauty of Breathing, Scram!, State Line |
| 14 |  | Brand New
Your Favorite Weapon
9.1
Jesse Lacey is a fuckin' loser and these lyrics portray someone with a complete lack of self-awareness and an alarming amount of vitriol but fuck, this album is still fun as hell.
Best Tracks: Seventy Times 7, Soco Amaretto Lime, The Shower Scene |
| 13 |  | Green Day
Nimrod
9.2
Was never one of my favourite GD albums when I was younger so was surprised how much I loved this thing upon revisiting. A more varied and mature offering from Green Day its hard to find much to complain about in the fairly lengthy tracklist.
Best Tracks: Redundant, Scattered, Hitchin' a Ride |
| 12 |  | Paramore
Riot!
9.2
Hayley Williams is an amazing vocalist and that these guys were such peak songwriters at such a young age is mindblowing.
Best Tracks: For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, Misery Business, That's What You Get |
| 11 |  | Blink-182
Dude Ranch
9.2
Super fun and bratty skate punk album, wildly consistent, full of snot-nosed 90s anthems such as Dammit and Josie, with only one real dud (Degenerate is trash).
Best Tracks: Dammit, Josie, Enthused |
| 10 |  | PUP
The Dream Is Over
9.3
Not as good as the follow up imo but still an amazing PUP album, and the first one by them I heard so there's some nostalgia there. Louder and noisier than most pop punk, PUP's brand of throat-shredding existential crisis rock is hard hitting and just melodic enough to get stuck in your head without being annoying.
Best Tracks: DVP, The Coast, Can't Win |
| 9 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
We Cool?
9.4
If I had included WORRY. on this list it would have been #1 but instead we have We Cool?, the first of Jeff's albums I fell in love with, leading to him becoming one of my favourite musicians of all time. Vulnerably raw vocals, confessional lyrics and a perfect blend of bitterness and optimism are all common tropes of Jeff's music that show up here and remind us why we ever fell in love with him.
Best Tracks: Polar Bear or Africa, You in Weird Cities, Get Old Forever |
| 8 |  | Fall Out Boy
Infinity on High
9.4
A contentious release in the Fall Out Boy discography, it's absolutely more polished and commercial than before but imo it works. It feels less like selling out and more like opening up the influences of sounds to play with and this album has some of the most interesting and catchy songs they've ever written.
Best Tracks: "The Take Over, the Breaks Over", The (After) Life of the Party, Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? |
| 7 |  | Blink-182
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
9.8
Pretty much Enema again but slightly less good and more alt-rock centric.
Best Tracks: Anthem Part Two, Every Time I Look for You, Stay Together for the KIds |
| 6 |  | Blink-182
Enema of the State
9.9
Absolute classic, not much to be said, if you're even vaguely interested in this genre you've heard this album. If you can get down with some whiny vocals and some juvenile lyrics this is bound to satisfy.
Best Tracks: Adam's Song, What's My Age Again?, All the Small Things |
| 5 |  | Green Day
Dookie
9.9
Almost a perfect pop punk album, while pop punk definitely existed before this this is the album that pretty much ushered in the wave that became the sound we most know. My only issue is even with its very short runtime it gets a bit samey.
Best Tracks: Basket Case, When I Come Around, She |
| 4 |  | Fall Out Boy
From Under the Cork Tree
9.9
Just masters of the hook, nearly everyone song on this album has been stuck in my head at some point and its just such a consistently fun listen from start to finish.
Best Tracks: Sugar We're Goin' Down, Of All the Gin Joints in All the World, Dance Dance |
| 3 |  | Green Day
American Idiot
10
At this point this album is basically dad rock canon, and for that its a pretty easy target for a lot of people, but I don't care, when I listen to it today the album is still just as solid as it was when I was 14. Say what you want about the political aspect of the album being shallow and underdeveloped, personally I wouldn't even argue but I've always thought that part of the album was severely overstated and pretty easy to ignore. These are just amazingly written rock songs, catchy as hell, sharp hooks, solid production, couldn't ask for more.
Best Tracks: Whatsername, Jesus of Suburbia, Homecoming |
| 2 |  | PUP
Morbid Stuff
10
Some of the best writing in the genre for sure, both in terms of songwriting and lyricism. Right blend of catchiness and rawness as to be expected with PUP. Literally only complaint I have is the slightly muddy production. Can't wait for their new album
Best Tracks: Sibling Rivalry, Morbid Stuff, See You at Your Funeral |
| 1 |  | Blink-182
blink-182
10
Arguably the peak of the genre definitely the peak of blink's career, more mature and refined sound, some genuinely surprising left hooks, lyrically can still be a bit juvenile but the emotion and passion is there.
Best Tracks: Feeling This, Always, Violence |
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