Who really started pop punk?

For a while now, there’s been long debates over who started pop punk. For some, they believe real pop punk music started in early 1990’s, when big bands like Green Day, Blink-182, Sum 41, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, or the Offspring started the trend.

Then, you have the people who believe it was NOFX, the Descendants, or Screeching Weasel who started the trend.

After years of debate, I think it’s time we truly acknowledge who started pop punk:

The Ramones.

The Ramones were founded in 1974 in New York City, by friends Johnny Ramone, Tommy Ramone, Joey Ramone, and Dee Dee Ramone. Although those weren’t the members real names, they adopted the title ‘Ramone’ from Paul McCartney’s Silver Beetles days, per the bands’ wikipedia.

The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, and were once ranked number 26 in the Rolling Stones ‘100 Greatest Artists of All Time’.

Back in the 1970’s, when punk rock was establishing itself all over the globe, The Ramones were one of the first to make it noticeable. Although the band went through plenty of members, they still carried the same message; keep the music going, trend progressively, and become more catchy.

Throughout the bands’ tenure, they were able to continue to push forward and set a trend for decades and to now, almost half of a century.

Even with all of the original members deceased, their music has still managed to carry throughout the years. In fact, their first ever album, The Ramones, reached gold status in 2014, nearly 38 years after it’s release.

If you were to ask any pop punk superstar, they’d probably tell you the same thing I have. We tend to forget that pop-punk wasn’t originated in the 1990’s. It was only brought into the spotlight because of catchy bands and great performances on television.

Disagree? Tell us who you think started the pop-punk revolution!

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