Reevaluating Millennium Pop/Punk and Emo-Pop

[LithoJazzoSphere]

So theoretically I was a prime target market for this kind of thing in my teens, and I had friends who were into it.  I had challenging experiences with punk-adjacent music early on though, and while I had guilty pleasure songs in that realm, I mostly resisted getting into those types of bands back then.  And I was falling deeper and deeper into the metal and prog worlds and gradually losing touch with radio-adjacent music anyway.  By the time I started opening my mind back up to it a few years later, it was mostly more skate punk kind of bands like Bad Religion, or some earlier classic stuff like The Clash.  A lot of my challenges with this sort of music relate to the vocals - they're so often too nasal/whiny for me. 

But a few discoveries/rediscoveries have made me rethink things lately.  The first domino was that I stumbled upon Alex Melton's Youtube channel last year.  He does a ton of pop/punk, emo, (also country-pop, but I'm less interested in those) and similar covers of other popular songs.  I watched a few videos for the novelty factor and was surprised at how well-executed they were, but one I kept coming back to was his cover of Foo Fighters' "Everlong".  That is one of my favorite songs, and it's one where beforehand I couldn't have imagined another band covering or changing the style of it and it still working, but somehow his totally does.  There's a silly skit bookending it, but the cover starts at 1:34. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXPn3cukyN8

As I've listened to (occasionally watched) more of them, I've realized that what I really like about them is that while he works within the pop-punk/emo-pop stylistic framework, Alex has a much more appealing voice to me than most vocalists related to those genres.  Even the Foo Fighters themselves depending upon the song have some punk/emo connections, and while I've loved The Colour and the Shape for ages, plus the occasional other song I've stumbled upon, I probably need to mine their discography more.  Dave also has a great voice. 

Epiphany #2 was on a whim earlier this year relistening to some Jimmy Eat World songs, particularly "Bleed American" and "Sweetness".  I've enjoyed those songs for over two decades, had opportunities to buy the album, and for whatever reason just never did.  I think I just thought of them as alt rock at the time, but it seems they count as emo-related as well.  Now I've listened to the album and a few others of theirs and realized that they have other songs I like as well (I already kind of knew but wasn't quite as familiar with "The Middle"), and I've realized that Jim is another vocalist that works for me. 

The final revelation was receiving some tunes from Paramore in my roulette.  The songs sent were more recent ones in different styles, but it also made me go back and listen to their earlier music as well.  By the time they were blowing up I was already way too deep in the metal/prog-verse, and while I kind of enjoyed a couple songs I was exposed to, I wasn't really looking for more of that sort of music at the time.  But now I'm quite digging most of their material of all eras, and Hayley's vocals are also excellent.  It's also made me realize that what all of these have in common also is an abundance of energy and a certain amount of "heaviness" (though not in a metal sense) and punch production-wise that is addicting, and it probably comes from these being also categorizable as alt rock and/or power pop - it's probably the mixture of them that is intoxicating. 

All of this sort of gives me nostalgia for a period of time that I lived through, but was mentally mostly in a different world from, so it's a treat to get a fresh perspective on it.  It has scratched some musical itches that I didn't realize I even had. 

[HOF]

I have never been big into this scene, but Bleed American was really popular with some of my friends in college, and it’s a really great album all the way through.

An album I recently discovered from this period that is a little more power pop than punk, but has some of the same overtones, is a self titled album by a guy named Owsley. It seemed like it should have been a hit record, but I don’t think it got much recognition.

[Skeever]

Jimmy Eat World and Paramore are two of the better bands from that whole scene as far as I'm concerned.
I even like some stuff like Panic and Fall Out Boy, even though I never liked them back then when I was in high school.

I think, like all genres, there is some stuff that is pretty good and makes you realize why that thing was popular to begin with, and then a whole lot of stuff that is just awful.

[DTA]

I love pop-punk, and even though they've veered away from the genre, Fall Out Boy has always been a favorite of mine. Truly creative lyrics album after album and insanely catchy songs with perpetually great vocal melodies. They're in a category of their own imo.

Paramore is great too. My lame claim to fame is that my old band opened for them in Delaware prior to Misery Business existing and when they were doing small local shows. I loved their self-titled and After Laughter, but This Is Why didn't do much for me aside from a couple songs.

[Stadler]

My daughter is big into Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco...  I like a lot of it, but it's hard; I listen to it then I say to myself, "hmm, Cheap Trick did this in 1977 on their first album."   I know that's not fair at all, but it is what it is. 

[Skeever]

Never really made that connection before (Cheap Trick and Emo), but I hear it.

I still find myself blurting out the first line of "The Best of Me" very regularly, and I hate that song. But it must have done something right because it's still in my head.

One of my favorite bands was kinda the precursor to this stuff, Weezer. I liked them way before the emo craze, and I remember trying to get people into them in high school when this sound was coming back. Didn't really help that Weezer's best albums at that point were in the 90s and everything new they tried seemed to be making them worse, though.

On another note, the mid 00s emo pop-punk craze might, sadly, represent the very last time it was both cool and kinda common for people around the high school to be in bands. I was in several bands in high school (we were the "metal" outcasts) but we had friends who did pop punk, hardcore, nu metal, and other things.

As far as I can tell, that's all gone these days. There are still kids in bands, obviously, but not like it used to be. Most of the popular music doesn't really prioritize playing instruments, and most of the young guys like hip hop.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

An album I recently discovered from this period that is a little more power pop than punk, but has some of the same overtones, is a self titled album by a guy named Owsley. It seemed like it should have been a hit record, but I don’t think it got much recognition.

I'll have to check it out. 

I love pop-punk, and even though they've veered away from the genre, Fall Out Boy has always been a favorite of mine. Truly creative lyrics album after album and insanely catchy songs with perpetually great vocal melodies. They're in a category of their own imo.

I remember them being one of the bands I didn't care for, but if you wanna suggest a song I'll give it a listen. 

Never really made that connection before (Cheap Trick and Emo), but I hear it.

Yeah, I think they're kind of the connective tissue between the early origins of power pop and the later directions of it. 

One of my favorite bands was kinda the precursor to this stuff, Weezer.

Yeah, they're one of the others that I did like some music from early on, though I didn't think of them as quite fitting at the time, though I can see it more now.  Rivers is also a pretty decent vocalist, and the guitar pyrotechnics at times definitely help. 

Speaking of that, Paul Gilbert's albums in this era always had some stuff that sort of fits in here, though because of his background in shred metal and hard rock the radio crowds were never exposed to it and thus never paid any attention to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5KdEb_fVJg

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

for me my chemical romance will always be the indisputable kings of this arena of music. their ability to tell a story through their music is truly remarkable. each album feels like a chapter in a larger narrative, and the way they craft their songs to fit within that narrative is nothing short of genius. it's like listening to a novel unfold, and you can't help but get lost in the world they've created. their lyrics are another standout feature. they tackle complex and often dark themes with a level of honesty and vulnerability that is rare in the music industry. whether it's exploring the pain of lost love, the struggles of mental health, or the feeling of not fitting in, their lyrics have a way of hitting you right in the heart. it's like they're speaking directly to your soul. musically, mcr is incredibly versatile. from the anthemic rock sound of "welcome to the black parade" to the raw, punk-inspired energy of "three cheers for sweet revenge," they've shown their ability to evolve and experiment with different styles while still maintaining their unique identity. their musicianship is top-notch, and you can hear the passion in every note they play. beyond the music, mcr has always had a strong message of self-acceptance and embracing your uniqueness. they've created a community where fans can feel like they belong, no matter how different or "outsider" they may feel in the mainstream world. this message of inclusivity is something that has resonated with me personally, and i know it has had a positive impact on countless others.

a note about their live performances: nothing short of electrifying. i've had the privilege of seeing them in concert, and the energy and emotion they bring to the stage is unparalleled. it's an experience that stays with you long after the final note has been played. in a world where so much of popular culture feels manufactured and superficial, my chemical romance stands as a beacon of authenticity and creativity. they've never been afraid to be themselves, to explore the darker corners of their minds, and to connect with their fans on a deep emotional level.

also gerard looks really good in a dress

[LithoJazzoSphere]

They were another one that didn't do anything for me at the time, though I'm always willing to give things a second chance if you want to suggest a song.  Lyrics rarely matter to me though, it's about the vocal delivery and musicianship. 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

sure, here is "thank you for the venom" off three cheers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBjG91rPzd0

[twosuitsluke]

Man punk, pop punk, emo, ska punk, they were all so hugely important to me in the mid 00s. Some of the big hitters were totally my jam, others I didn’t care for,(already mentioned above) such as Jimmy Eat World and Fallout Boy. I liked a few songs and had friends who were obsessed with them, but they never became an album band for me.

Litho, you mentioned skate punk, and that was really what I was all about, and melodic hardcore bands. By the mid 00s bands like Bad Religion had been going for over 20 years, and all my favourites were really bands that were in their prime in the 90s. A lot of my faves were still releasing solid albums, but  the scene was starting to die down a bit. The emo scene really kicked off in the mid 00s, and although I was a little too old to be the main demographic, I still liked a fair few of the bands. Most of the ones I liked, I liked in that period however, and didn’t really continue to follow. Paramore are a great example. I loved All We Know is Falling, and even more so Riot!, but I’ve not listened to an album of theirs since those two. Riot! is honestly incredibly good though.

I checked out that Everlong cover and it’s pretty good. Someone on the comment section said it’s basically already an emo anthem and their not really wrong. I adore the song though and it was hugely important to me.

Going back to Jimmy Eat World, I might revisit them myself actually as it’s been forever since I listened to them and I should spin at least a few albums.

I’ll second what TheHoveringSojourn said though, MCR we’re undisputed kings of this era for me. It felt like Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge started something and then The Black Parade solidified their status. They really spoke to a generation, and were really inclusive. I only got to see them once but I’m hoping they’ll play over here again soon as I’d actually want to prioritise seeing them.

If I was to rank all the bands from that scene/era it’d look like this…

Green Day
Blink-182
My Chemical Romance
Alkaline Trio
Bullet for my Valentine (not emo or pop punk or anything, but got lumped into the scene)
Paramore
Yellowcard
New Found Glory
Boxcar Racer
Billy Talent
Zebrahead
Bowling for Soup
Fall Out Boy
Jimmy Eat World
Alexisonfire
AFI
Good Charlotte


Good thread dude. I’m sure there’s a playlist that has all the big songs of that era already but would be happy to contribute to one.

[Anguyen92]

I've been listening to a fair amount of stuff from these bands on Spotify radio playlists recently.  Like for some reason, I can't stop listening to Jimmy Eat World's Work and Fall Out Boy's Alone Together in recent memory.

Obviously most of these bands are pretty well-known to me, but I just can't get into these bands like I did with the Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, A7X type of bands that came around at the same time, but that doesn't stop me from listening to a song here and there at random.

[nick_z]

I don't think I can call myself a fan of the scene in general,  but there's stuff I really like in it...

...and, well, since you mentioned Paramore and Jimmy Eat World, I am a big fan of both bands.

Paramore's first album (All We Know Is Falling), I like well enough, but it's Riot! that truly starts their run for me. I mean, maybe that's for a younger target, I don't know, but I still enjoy it greatly when I go back to it. Brand Bew Eyes is almost as good (with Hayley Williams getting better and better). The self-titled is quite the sprawling album. Lots of songs and variety. A bit of turmoil in the band leading up to its release, with band members leaving and whatnot. While not every single thing in it hits the bullseye, overall I sometimes think it's my favorite of theirs. Incidentally, the combo of Let the Flames Begin (on Riot!) and it sequel Part II (on the s/t) is fantastic. Great, great drumming on the latter (not the usual drummer, who's also very good, btw...Ilan Rubin played drums on the s/t, currently with Nine Inch Nails live, I believe). After Laughter and their latest (which you have heard, I think) are great too. As far as mainstream bands go, they are surprisingly willing to change things up with their releases. Great stuff.

As for Jimmy Eat World - I know Static Prevails and (especially) Clarity are very highly regarded by the "hardcore" fans, and they perhaps fit this thread's genre the best. I think they are ok, but I don't go back to them often. Bleed American and Futures is where it's at for me. They are both fantastic (I might have heard The Middle a billion times, but it's great every time  ), but Futures is my favorite. So, so good. There is a whole layer of melancholy that they do incredibly well. The follow-up Chase the Light is very good too, perhaps a little brighter. Invented and Damage are both good, but they didn't stick with me as much. However, their last two records (Integrity Blues and Surviving) are a return to form, imo (if we want to call it that way  ). The song Delivery, from Surviving, is top Jimmy Eat World - the vocal delivery is perfect.

Looking at the bands Luke posted...I really like Sing the Sorrow by AFI. Great example of, um, gothic pop punk? (Here too, I know fans prefers the earlier stuff, but I like that this one is a little more polished).

Another album I enjoy is the second from Angels & Airwaves (I-Empire) - Tom DeLonge's band after Blink 182. They got a little ahead of themselves after this, but I-Empire is quite tasty. I remember liking the single Everything's Magic a lot when I caught the video, back in the day. The record has a lot of those epic, delayed guitars and it's quite good overall.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

sure, here is "thank you for the venom" off three cheers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBjG91rPzd0

Hmm, some cool stuff there instrumentally, but yeah, that's the type of vocal I don't really like.  Oh well, it was worth a try. 

If I was to rank all the bands from that scene/era it’d look like this…

Green Day
Bullet for my Valentine (not emo or pop punk or anything, but got lumped into the scene)

I don't care for Billy Joe's vocals, but they had some pretty good songs, and the guitar tone especially on Dookie is stellar, so I've spent more time with them than some others. 

BFMV was part of the melodic metalcore scene.  I kind of liked a lot of those bands a bit instrumentally because they're adjacent to In Flames and other Gothenburg bands, but the vast majority had the type of vocals I just don't like, mainly the cleans.  The Poison had an incredible intro track with fantastic guitar work, but then the vocal track came in after that and it's just not for me.  Killswitch Engage was one of a number of those that I got along with much better, Howard Jones had great vocals, and Jesse Leach's improved when he came back to them later. 

Obviously most of these bands are pretty well-known to me, but I just can't get into these bands like I did with the Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, A7X type of bands that came around at the same time, but that doesn't stop me from listening to a song here and there at random.

Yeah, I had a bit more success in general with those.  They were rarely top favorites, but I could enjoy them on occasion. 

Looking at the bands Luke posted...I really like Sing the Sorrow by AFI. Great example of, um, gothic pop punk? (Here too, I know fans prefers the earlier stuff, but I like that this one is a little more polished).

I was sent "The Great Disappointment" in my roulette and the vocals ruined it for me.  I don't know if the ones on that track are typical for them. 

Another album I enjoy is the second from Angels & Airwaves (I-Empire) - Tom DeLonge's band after Blink 182. They got a little ahead of themselves after this, but I-Empire is quite tasty. I remember liking the single Everything's Magic a lot when I caught the video, back in the day. The record has a lot of those epic, delayed guitars and it's quite good overall.

Hmm, I tend to like delay on guitars, so I might have to look into that. 

I'll also have to look at some of your mentions when I go back through Paramore and Jimmy Eat World's discographies again, they're still a bit jumbled together in my head at this point. 

[ProgMasterMind92]

my kids love my chemical romance and i have to admit i enjoy the black parade... you can tell a lot of the old greats influenced them... they have some other cool songs too, good sense of melody and they're catchy...

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

i wanna love green day but i have issues getting into the timbre of their vocalist, billy joel. for some reason it just doesn't cut it for me

[ProgMasterMind92]

green day were rockin' it in the early 90s, they're my age, feels weird to include them but i guess they could be... my kids do also like american idiot a lot... multigenerational magic!

[twosuitsluke]

Yea Green Day weren’t a part of the scene but were. I’m not sure if this is a skewed perspective, but in the UK all the scene kids who were into the whole emo/pop punk very much included Green Day. It’s obviously due to the success of American Idiot, and it’s really just that album that fits into this scene. Kinda the same with Blink’s self titled actually. It was more mature, definitely more of the emo aesthetic, and although you wouldn’t necessarily count Dude Ranch era Blink in this scene, you would self titled era Blink.

That goes for Alkaline Trio and AFI as well.

Also, Litho do yourself a favour and just listen to The Black Parade. Yes you might struggle with the vocals but it’s such an incredible album that I’m sure at the end of it you’d have a greater appreciation of the band. Even Jingle.boy loves it!

Edit: What with this thread and new Blink-182, I’m all nostalgic.

I’ve created a playlist of loads of my favourite songs from this era. It’s open to collaboration so add songs if you want guys…

https://spotify.link/SYCByPjriDb

[Mladen]

This is an interesting topic that I never thought I would see on this forum. 

I'm in my early 30s now. Back when I was a teenager, it was really uncool to listen to emo. You were expected to listen to heavier music and emo was sort of labeled as weak in comparison, so I ignored most of those bands for quite a while. As I was starting to get into the alternative rock about thirteen years ago, I fell in love with Weezer's Pinkerton and thought to myself that it was really good for an emo record. Of course, I still had no idea what an emo record could be. 

Years went by and I started getting into Brand New, Death Cab For Cutie (this is sort of borderline), My Chemical Romance and The Get Up Kids. All of a sudden, the vibe started to click with me and I enjoyed both the energy and the musicality. Recently I've been listening to The Promise Ring and Jimmy Eat World quite a bit as well. Bright Eyes is also interesting, though that one has more of a folky vibe compared to other emo bands.

It's odd to be catching up on music now that I dismissed when I was the perfect age for it. Good stuff all around. 

[King Postwhore]

HOF. I own both Owsley albums. Such a shame he took his own life. Those 2 albums a so damn enjoyable. 

[nick_z]

Looking at the bands Luke posted...I really like Sing the Sorrow by AFI. Great example of, um, gothic pop punk? (Here too, I know fans prefers the earlier stuff, but I like that this one is a little more polished).

I was sent "The Great Disappointment" in my roulette and the vocals ruined it for me.  I don't know if the ones on that track are typical for them. 

Mmmh, you might be out of luck then  I'm not crazy about Davey's vocals either, but overall they don't kill the rest for me. But, yeah, that's more or less how they sound across the board on that album (earlier they had a bit more of a "screamo" approach). Maybe there are some more up-tempo songs where they fit a bit better, I don't know. The single Girl's Not Grey had some success back then, and it's very catchy....perhaps try that one. 

 

I'll also have to look at some of your mentions when I go back through Paramore and Jimmy Eat World's discographies again, they're still a bit jumbled together in my head at this point.

At the very least, do yourself a favor and check out Jimmy Eat World's The World You Love, from Futures. I'm not crying, you are crying  No, really, it's a great song, along with the rest of that album.

[DTA]

I love pop-punk, and even though they've veered away from the genre, Fall Out Boy has always been a favorite of mine. Truly creative lyrics album after album and insanely catchy songs with perpetually great vocal melodies. They're in a category of their own imo.

I remember them being one of the bands I didn't care for, but if you wanna suggest a song I'll give it a listen. 

No idea what your tastes are but here's the title track from their newest album which I love, not quite their usual style but still very much them - So Much (For) Stardust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv1D0kFxKC4&ab_channel=FallOutBoy

[HOF]

HOF. I own both Owsley albums. Such a shame he took his own life. Those 2 albums a so damn enjoyable.

Nice! I haven’t heard the second one yet. Yeah, I read his story soon after discovering the first album and it really is a shame. Another one of those guys who got chewed up by the industry.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

green day were rockin' it in the early 90s, they're my age, feels weird to include them but i guess they could be

Yea Green Day weren’t a part of the scene but were. I’m not sure if this is a skewed perspective, but in the UK all the scene kids who were into the whole emo/pop punk very much included Green Day. It’s obviously due to the success of American Idiot, and it’s really just that album that fits into this scene. Kinda the same with Blink’s self titled actually. It was more mature, definitely more of the emo aesthetic, and although you wouldn’t necessarily count Dude Ranch era Blink in this scene, you would self titled era Blink.

Hmm, this is interesting.  So by "millennium" I technically mean centered around the turn of the millennium, since that's my mid-teens and close to when Bleed American came out.  Even as someone who grew up through this and sampled these bands here and there at the time, I'm definitely still a bit of an outsider to it.  But it seemed to me that Green Day kind of spearheaded the beginning of this movement and the hits from Dookie and beyond were all over alternative radio stations at least through the early 00s when I stopped listening to those stations.  Though the two of them are kind of different bands.  But then I never liked anything from Blink enough to really differentiate any eras of theirs though.  Travis was a great drummer though. 

Also, Litho do yourself a favour and just listen to The Black Parade. Yes you might struggle with the vocals but it’s such an incredible album that I’m sure at the end of it you’d have a greater appreciation of the band. Even Jingle.boy loves it!

I listened to it near when it came out, again a number of years later, and again to whatever track was sent to lonestar in his roulette and it's never really done anything for me, but maybe I'll make my way around to the whole thing again at some point. 

I’ve created a playlist of loads of my favourite songs from this era. It’s open to collaboration so add songs if you want guys…

https://spotify.link/SYCByPjriDb

Cool, I might dip into this a bit, particularly the bands I haven't heard as much from. 

It's odd to be catching up on music now that I dismissed when I was the perfect age for it.

Yeah, that's exactly the feeling I'm getting from this.  My digital music collection is littered with a song or two from a bunch of these sort of bands, but very few of them made me want to go further with them.  I feel like I never got a foothold on it at the time.  If Paramore had come out half a dozen years earlier maybe things could been a bit different, or if I'd just purchased Bleed American the first time I saw it.  But I was plunging head first into power metal at that point and that's where all my limited money was going. 

The single Girl's Not Grey had some success back then, and it's very catchy....perhaps try that one.

Gave it a listen.  Yeah, probably just not a band for me.  Some cool guitar work, particularly in the mellower part later, but the vocals just don't work at all. 

At the very least, do yourself a favor and check out Jimmy Eat World's The World You Love, from Futures. I'm not crying, you are crying  No, really, it's a great song, along with the rest of that album.

Yeah, I had already listened to it earlier this year and gave that track another listen just now.  Not one of the standouts from the album, but I like it as a whole and I'm sure it'll continue to grow on me even more. 

No idea what your tastes are but here's the title track from their newest album which I love, not quite their usual style but still very much them - So Much (For) Stardust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv1D0kFxKC4&ab_channel=FallOutBoy

Huh, this actually isn't too bad.  Better than I expected/remembered from them, actually.  Maybe there's some potential here.