Pop punk needs to be saved

Think of the good old days; basically the late 90’s, early 2000’s.

Think of the punk rock, pop punk, emo music scene back then, basically known as the 2nd wave of pop punk. We had Good Charlotte, Green Day, Blink-182, Sum 41, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, The Wonder Years, Yellowcard, and whatever other band that makes you think of that era. All of them in which are generational sounds.

Think about how simple, yet great the music was. It was full of angst, rebellion, lust, and kept generations in place. It was riffy, melodic, and most certainly memorable music.

Nowadays, the pop punk sound is diminishing on the mainstream platform. Yes, not all great music is on the radio, but the genre has seemingly lost its memo. Maybe it’s because of the fact that all of those late 90’s early 2000’s kids grew up, or it’s that the pop punk ethos wasn’t carried correctly by the generations that carried. I don’t know, but it’s frightening to watch this genre kick the bucket.

I’m not saying that pop punk is dead now. I’m just saying it’s not as good as it used to be. if you take a look at the main stage of pop punk now, it’s not as creative or diverse as it once was. Yes, we still have some original bands, but I’m talking about newer bands that have come out since then that took over the scene.

There’s no distinguished voice nowadays. The music is good, but it seems too tame. Between Knuckle Puck, Modern Baseball, Neck Deep, and Real Friends (arguably the best newer pop punk bands today) don’t have that pizazz that the older bands had.

Their voices aren’t that unique and their musical construction is somewhat bland. It’s not generational and doesn’t scream out for people to join in. Yes, the music is good, but it doesn’t just cut it for what was once displayed back then.

I think we all need to go back to the revolution we had years ago and remember what we constructed. The legends can’t keep the music going forever, so it’s up to the up and coming bands to keep the legacy of pop punk in line.

Follow me on Twitter: @Johnaubert97

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