Ah, the 2000s. The internet is on the rise; Silly Bandz are all the rage; Gameboy’s and Nintendo DS’s are essential for outings and Heelys were getting banned at every school and shopping mall.
One crucial aspect of a childhood in the 2000s that no one could ever forget: the pop punk bands that satisfied your angst ridden teenage minds.
Whether it’s called pop punk, pop rock, emo pop or punk rock, here are (arguably) the five best pop punk bands from your childhood.
1. Fall Out Boy
Formed in Illinois in 2001, Fall Out Boy, with lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, lead guitarist Joe Trohnman, bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley, has been around for 17 years and is one of the most successful bands on this list.
Who can forget hits such as “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” “Dance, Dance” and especially “Thnks fr th Mmrs” at the graduation ceremony? High school memories definitely “weren’t so great.”
During a two-year hiatus from the years 2010 to 2012, many fans thought they were gone for good until they came back with the mind-blowing album “Save Rock and Roll.” Fall Out Boy’s musical style has definitely changed throughout the years, and it should (can’t have the same thing forever).
A lot of fans give them hate for “selling out” and having more of a pop sound, but the members of Fall Out Boy ignore all the haters and continue to make amazing and passionate music. Check out their newest album “Mania,” which was released this January.
2. My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (or MCR for short) was active from 2001 to 2013 and composed of five members: lead vocalist Gerard Way, drummer Bob Bryar (who replaced Matt Pelissier), bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Frank Lero and Ray Toro.
After witnessing the Twin Towers fall during the 9/11 attacks, Gerard Way and Matt Pelissier formed My Chemical Romance.
They were nominated five times for MTV Music Video Awards and won six Kerrang! Awards (Kerrang! is a British music magazine). MCR even performed the opening act for Green Day on their American Idiot tour and co-headlined the 2005 Warped tour with Fall Out Boy.
Some of MCR’s best hits include “Helena,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” “Famous Last Words,” “Sing,” “Teenagers” and “Na Na Na.” The best song by far by My Chemical Romance is “Welcome to the Black Parade,” a.k.a. the most epic punk song ever.
The song follows a man named The Patient as he is dying and crossing over to the land of the dead. How much more punk can that get? In this song, Gerard Way belts out a passionate performance, especially at the climax of the song, that connected with every kid and teen’s angsty emotions.
Let’s not forget the amount of MCR merchandise that was sold at Hot Topic too. Everyone remembers how all the emo/punk kids would be wearing all black and hanging around the Hot Topic Store.
3. All-American Rejects
All-American Rejects was created in 1999 in Oklahoma. Tyson Ritter (lead vocalist and bassist), Nick Wheeler (lead guitarist and backing vocalist), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist) and Chris Gaylor (drummer) are all currently in the band, which means that All-American Rejects is 19 years old.
They were even inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and have won two MTV Video Music Awards. Their most famous songs, “Move Along,” “Swing, Swing,” “Dirty Little Secret,” “Gives You Hell” and “It Ends Tonight,” were all integral to the pop punk scene during the 2000s.
Those songs also reached to the 15th position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making All-American Rejects popular with not only the punk fans but also the general public. “Gives You Hell” was an iconic “screw you” break up song that every teenager sang while imagining their ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend.
4. Simple Plan
This band formed in 1999 in Montreal, Canada. Simple Plam’s music is classic emo punk rock at its finest. Songs such as “Welcome to My Life,” “Shut Up,” “I’m Just a Kid” and “I’d Do Anything” are typical songs to “blast in your room when you’re sad or furious at the world.”
The member consists of Pierre Bouvier (vocals), Chuck Comeau (drums), David Desrosiers (bass), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar) and Sebastien Lefebvre (guitar). They performed every year at the Vans Warped Tour from 1999 to 2005 and played at the 2010 Winter Olympic s closing ceremony.
Those who grew up with “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?” may recognize Simple Plan as the singers behind the theme song. They also played their music in movies such as “Freaky Friday,” “Unaccompanied Minors” and “Prom.” Simple Plan was the music behind teen movies for the 2000s.
5. Panic! At The Disco
Panic! At The Disco is a little bit different than the rest of the bands on this list. While they started off as a pop punk band, they change their style in every album. Original band members Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie formed Panic! At The Disco in Las Vegas in 2004 while they were still in high school.
After the band uploaded three of their demos, they also sent a link to Pete Wentz, the bassist for Fall Out Boy. This subsequently leads to Wentz visiting the band out in Las Vegas and signing them to his label called Fueled by Ramen.
Panic! At The Disco’s first album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” had the most punk elements and the song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” was the band’s only Top 40 hit until 2015. “Pretty. Odd” was their second album, inspired by the sounds of the Beatles and the Beach Boys.
“Vices & Virtues” has a more of a synth sound to it and was one of the first albums that Urie had to do the majority of the writing. Panic! At The Disco’s fourth album was “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!,” which has elements of electronica and dance music.
Their most recent album is “Death of a Bachelor,” released in 2016. Urie was the only band member left and the album was consequently written and recorded by him.
Urie was inspired by the music of Queen and Frank Sinatra in “Death of a Bachelor” and it earned him the nomination for Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2017.
All in all, while they may not be the same punk band as before, but Panic! At The Disco still holds a special place in our punk childhood memories.
