THE POP-PUNK STARTER KIT

[@bongintom32]

No Use For A Name needs to be talked about more. RIP Tony Sly.

[@bushleague3472]

This, No Use Was always great. More Betterness through Feel Good Record is for sure among the best pop punk ever recorded. Feel Good was an absolute masterpiece... buzz saw guitars to show tune beats with dark as fuck lyrics, pure genius.

[@Pedro-dn3sg]

Exactly what I was gonna comment. NUFAN was a major pop punk catalyst for me. Still miss Tony.

[@ThePainlessGamer]

I was literally about to comment this before I seen it.

[@boivbam]

One of the best writer in the genre for sure

[@dkarahtee5340]

Loved NuFAn so much. More Betterness and Hard rock bottom are great front to back.

[@joshuamelo2010]

Scott Raynor isn't a terrible drummer. He's certainly more simple than Travis but extremely solid in what he did. I wouldn't want the drums any different on Dude Ranch to be honest.

[@biznatcho7]

He’s a straight ahead punk drummer. No shame there.

[@broonage]

I feel Blink went and lost their way after Dude Ranch. Enema has some cracking songs but Dude Ranch is miles better and Scott would have brought Blink to a better musical situation (maybe not money wise), but they could have been the next Nofx or Pennywise and not that cringing mainstream nonsense.

[@ReanuKeaves1]

Finn once again on the hate train.

[@chrisbrown6472]

Travis is a monster drummer and super creative, he does change some things, but Scott was a really good drummer from the area and a cool person. Wade in Unwritten Law was actually one of the most solid drummers in our school. Seriously go check out The Locust to hear another poway drummer who was great, Gabe was awesome. Listen to everything and be good to people

[@IceBreakBottle]

@@biznatcho7 He was actually a metal drummer..

[@takodabostwick8507]

Here would be the Pop Punk Starter Bands I would suggest starting off first Ramones Generation X Buzzcocks Descendents The Vandals Screeching Weasel Guttermouth Jawbreaker Green Day Blink 182 MxPx The Get Up Kids Saves the Day Bowling For Soup Sum 41 Good Charlotte Yellowcard New Found Glory Fall Out Boy A Day to Remember All Time Low The Wonder Years The Story So Far State Champs Neck Deep Knuckle Puck Real Friends Boston Manor

[@harveyradius]

Jawbreaker are criminally underrated. Saw them last month in Chicago and they kicked ass.

[@IceBreakBottle]

@@jeremiahthompson7266 ADTR is not metalcore bahahaha Its pop punk with break downs. Dont insult metalcore like that.

[@mrgalaxia12]

This should be the starter Pack

[@toxiczombiewolf5692]

Thanks a few I didn't know I will check out

[@cloudbloom]

The story so far is my favorite out of these but I'm not a huge pop punk aficionado

[@GraysonPeve]

Idk what you mean about The Descendents not being able to play their instruments. Bill Stevenson is an amazing drummer. His speed and his ability to play so fast and expend little to no energy is a testament to his technique. And not to mention Tony Lombardo is a beast on the bass.

[@meowtherainbowx4163]

At least as far as old punk goes, they were killer musicians. I think they just sounded worse because the production wasn’t as good.

[@leahflower9924]

Bill is the best part of the descendents

[@KickflipGnasty]

@@meowtherainbowx4163 punk doesn’t even need good production 😂

[@meowtherainbowx4163]

@Jazz Rocker Ethiopia I'm not a fan of objectively bad production. I do like how some records sound unconventionally good, though, and I can look past some overly raw, lo-fi production if the performances are good enough. The latter is the case with The Descendents.

[@psychoof78]

The Descendents are excellent musicians. They play very well

[@mikejustman1542]

absolutely

[@megaklok]

Finn was smoking crystallized cocaine saying that Blink could play better than Descendents

[@lobesmcgee]

I love them, but I prefer them as ALL.

[@psychoof78]

@@lobesmcgee I like ALL as well, but my point was in regard to Finn saying Blink 182 is like a newer Descendants who can actually play well. Descendants can run circles around Blink 182 in musical ability.

[@TolietWater]

@@psychoof78 Also saying blink is better than Lagwagon or NOFX (In their prime) is a horrible take like every Lagwagon album is better than anything blink put out even if I like blink

[@patrickstar6247]

One of my favorites was Allister. Criminally underrated and their Last Stop Suburbia album is a masterpiece

[@fbennett1125]

Drive thru records was amazing

[@TolietWater]

Allister’s first 3 albums are classics, especially Dead Ends and Girlfriends and Last Stop Suburbia

[@patrickstar6247]

@@TolietWater Dead ends and girlfriends is one that hasn’t grown on me very much. I don’t think it’s bad but it’s definitely a beginner album. But I agree with Last stop suburbia and Before the blackout

[@TolietWater]

@@patrickstar6247 Yeah the album is one of those that kinda gets better as you listen to it more I liked it a lot the first time I heard it tho because it has a lot more skate punk influence

[@PedroFigs]

I’m 37 and still love Allister.

[@oldpunker885]

Joey Cape is Lagwagons frontman's name since you were wondering. Love the band. Ine if my all time faves. The 2 albums they put out in the 2010s were great. They're still going strong.

[@brandonw7506]

You start at The Starting Line, because all three of their records are killer, and evolve each time with better & better songwriting. Kenny wrote 'Say It Like You Mean It', (still a foundational Pop Punk record) at 16 years old. Fought through a ton of label black-balling, and are still going, through it all. Still putting on great shows.

[@JeremyBalise]

That’s why they’re called that

[@HI-pi1er]

Say it like you mean it is one of the best pop punk albums ever

[@joshann1251]

Completely agree. I think Best of Me is the perfect pop punk song, too.

[@Danielfucks69]

TSL are the most underrated by far

[@Ravelle17]

@@joshann1251 incredible song

[@biznatcho7]

Finn really undersells Lagwagon here and then samples a song from their later discography instead of classic bangers like Razor Burn, Violins, May 16, etc. Joey’s vocals and lyrics stand out in the genre, the musicianship is great with a metal influence at times, the hooks are insanely catchy, and the live shows are ridiculously fun because Joey is so charismatic and the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. They are one of the pillars of skate punk and this is a hill I will die on. Also, MxPx - wut?!?

[@jacdixie]

100% agree.

[@broonage]

And he doesn't even know the name of their singer! If you know skate punk you know Joey!

[@anthonywhittica5687]

Ah, May 16th is one of their top records

[@anthonywhittica5687]

Blaze is definitely a later album

[@anthonywhittica5687]

@@broonage I legit said the same thing lol

[@YouTubenostalgia914]

NFG was my jump in. I was never into punk but it was a great start for an edgy, whiny teen who was more into nu metal/emo lyrics at the time. That 1st album def still holds up for a really fun listen. Especially with summer coming up.

[@philipbeadle6446]

Same! Newfound Glory was the first big show my friends and I ever went to see

[@CC-fe8ki]

Same, first real concert i saw was blink and NFG opened..

[@channtastic]

Face to Face is underrated. I would put them in the started pack.

[@MikeIzzle_]

I was never really a fan but I saw them open for less than jake a few years ago and they blew me away honestly

[@lobesmcgee]

Definitely, so fucking good, underrated band.

[@dkarahtee5340]

@@MikeIzzle_ just super solid and undeniable right?

[@letsroamaround2189]

The sad boi era was my entrance in to pop punk, From neck deep to the story so far (my favorite band of all time), love that shit

[@FinnMckentyPRMBA]

The best

[@IceBreakBottle]

@@FinnMckentyPRMBA You should check out Dune Rats and Violent Soho from Australia. You won't be dissapointed :)

[@LampyGames]

I grew up on bands like Fall Out Boy, Alkaline Trio, Blink, Green Day, and TBS, but tbh I'd only recommend early FOB or Blink to start. I had no clue about the newer pop punk scene was a thing until I heard Elevated by State Champs and was super into it IMMEDIATELY and I've listened a lot since then, so I'd say they're definitely a great pop punk open bands

[@cultreader9751]

I don't know why, maybe I had lomg since moved onto hardcore but I couldn't get into 2010s pop punk.

[@bubblescatshack8658]

My introduction was 90’s Green Day. Then got into rancid, lagwagon, NOFX, and Millencolin though dudes at the skatepark

[@j.c.higginbotham6401]

@@cultreader9751 ive been listening to poppunk for nearly 20 years and im with you, i think the golden era was around 90 - 05. after that, everyone seemed more sad/emo with brickwalled guitar mixes. i miss the goofy lyrics and tight snare kicks from that era when blink was the benchmark

[@aenoire]

I'd second alk3 if something wasn't getting stinkier around matt these days. Loved their music to death but there's just way too much to ignore

[@brkschmergins2993]

@@bubblescatshack8658 yes, he must go back to the skate park: Propagandhi and Chixdiggit

[@hulluporo9067]

Finn, it´s very very hard for any non-american band to make it in the US. That doesn´t mean that there aren´t any good pop punk bands outside of America. My favourite band would be Sweden´s No Fun at All, whose first three albums are just masterpieces.

[@akakizz]

Sum 41’s All Killer No Filler was my first favorite album. Blink 182 had a song on the “Now Thats What I Call Music” comps vol 3 and vol 4, so that got my attention first, but the Fat Lip video got me to buy the AKNF album and I didn’t stop listening for years

[@richchappell]

I'm a little old for the scene (now 53), but I still love the music. I got my start with bands like Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Simple Plan, Blink, The Donnas, and Something Corporate (if they qualify). I recently purchased tickets to see Sum 41/Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup, and New Found Glory when they all (separately) come to Phoenix in August. It's going to be a rough week for this old man... 3 shows in 4 nights. The thing that sold me on the Bowling for Soup show is that they have a local Phoenix band called Doll Skin among their opening acts;.

[@Keasbeysknight]

Lots of fluids, ear plugs and ibuprofen. you got this old man! just dont break a hip and make sure you pay someone to keep the kids off your lawn while you are away!

[@peanutbutterisfu]

Well I’m glad ur not one of them dudes that is stuck on the 1980’s hair metal like most dudes ur age. I mean u were in ur 20’s in the 1990’s when pop punk was starting to really blow up so ur not far off. When I was in bands and really playing a lot of shows about 10 years ago there actually were some older guys coming to shows back then there even was this dude that’s gotta be in his 60’s now that came to all the punk shows to take pictures he was pretty cool guy. One of the bands back then a couple of the members were in their 40’s back then and they had a few guys also in the band that was in there early 20’s. I remember when I was a teenager thinking how weird it would be for older people to listen to pop punk but now I’m 37 and the music still feels fresh to me.

[@TheRareVideosXL]

Sum 41 is my personal favorite band here and they still are a great band today.

[@Jaceno]

Deryck had the best vocals during their Chuck-era.

[@CALAVERASTV]

If you see sum 41 play live vs blink 182 live… there is no comparison… sum 41 for the win.

[@lunatikkrazieazylum6226]

Sum's new stuff is way better than Blink's.

[@TheRareVideosXL]

@@lunatikkrazieazylum6226 I agree with you on that.

[@colico14]

@@lunatikkrazieazylum6226 They've gotten even heavier! Proudly wearing their metal roots.

[@bugnut82]

40-year-old here, and I love screeching weasel! Dingbat is a rad song, and so is psychiatrist. I actually listen to these bands every day. Lag Wagon, NOFX, Rancid, The Queers. I guess my music preference hasn't changed since I was 15, probably because it is who I am.

[@williamfulk9574]

I don’t like Ben Weasel, but I love screeching weasel. Their early stuff is pretty sloppy but they have a ton of great music.

[@BuildNStuff86]

Screeching Weasel is a great band and very influential to a lot of the pop punk bands that made it big, Blink 182 covered them on one of their early records and Mike Dirnt was a member of the band at on point.

[@leahflower9924]

Weasels lyrics didn't age that well uh yeah they did lol

[@leahflower9924]

@@BuildNStuff86 he's hating on weasel for fat Mike's benefit I could believe he isn't a fan but the fact he says they're terrible over and over is suspect

[@Paadii24]

I started listening to pop-punk in like 2009 without even knowing it was a thing. I listened to blink, paramore, all time low and that stuff. Pop.Punk was kind of dead around this time, there were not many bands around doing good. Maybe Set Your Goals, Man Overboard but definetely not a growing vivid scene. In 2013 I went to the local record store and saw that interesting looking CD cover. It was What You Don't See by TSSF. My world changed it literally blew my mind. I started to go down the rabbit hole. The sadboi era was the golden era for me 2013-2016 so many legendary records. I am so thankful that I was able to actively be apart of that time.

[@thenew400.]

Skate punk was my entry into punk in general. Faster tempos and a little more aggression than the stuff coming out after it. NOFX was the first show I ever went to. I think the best bands out of that era were NOFX, Strung Out, Pennywise, Propagandhi, Lagwagon, NUFAN and RKL. I also always loved some Rancid and Bouncing Souls.

[@MCBard-ru7yu]

Love skate punk! Strung out is one of my favorite bands!

[@anthonyhertlein4629]

Strung out is fuckin sick one of my favorites of all time and super underrated today.

[@chaoticignorant483]

I scrolled for quite awhile looking for a Strung Out mention. Exile In Oblivion would be one of my 3 stranded on a desert island albums.

[@thenew400.]

@@chaoticignorant483 so cool you mentioned that album. My buddy Matt Hyde was the producer on that. It's a killer album!

[@1980extremeG]

Millencolin? Their first 2 albums are amazing.

[@OfficialJBAllen]

Lagwagon's earlier stuff was a mix of intricate, melodic hardcore, with a lot more songs that are reminiscent of Blink-stlye, goofy, teenage angst pop-punk, even though they were around years before Blink came onto the scene, however, as Lagwagon moved forward in their career, they wrote less & less goofy teenage songs (rightfully so), and focused more on edgier, intricate, melodic hardcore with far more serious lyrical subject matter. Listen to their album HANG in it's entirety, and you'll undoubtedly recognize their growth and development, with musicianship that blows away all their former contemporaries mentioned alongside them in this video. Cheers! -JB

[@bushleague3472]

Have you listened to the new one, Railer? As far as I'm concerned its probably the best album they've done. The lyrics are good, the choruses are big, the riffage is top notch.

[@ienjoyhoagies]

Lagwagon is the best band that I’d consider pop punk, from a musical standpoint. Finn, or at least a lot of his audience, seem to be more influenced by post-2000 stuff though. That’s cool too.

[@OfficialJBAllen]

​@@bushleague3472 Absolutely! In fact, they were touring for that album two years ago, where I attended a show (with Face To Face), and was stabbed multiple times by a psycho who had been stalking me on social media and followed me there. That was the last "real" show I've been to (Oct. 2019, Charlotte, NC) :D Railer is definitely a continuing progression of their songwriting, incorporating elements of hardcore, thrash & metal, while maintaining their melodic, pop-punk sensibilities, and while I agree it's a good album, HANG is still my favorite.

[@OfficialJBAllen]

@@ienjoyhoagies Lagwagon and Nofx have fairly different styles, but I'd consider them comparable to one another, in terms of musicianship. As far as punk rock goes, they have far exceeded the 3-chord power pop of bands like the Ramones. When you can write intricate instrumental sections with deep lyrical content, that takes the listener on a journey in 3 minutes or less, you really are a master of your craft. As for Finn, I really do enjoy his videos, but I do take most of what he has to say for what it is, which is his opinion. That's in no way meant to be insulting, because I enjoy listening to his opinion and we're all entitled to have one. To say Screeching Weasel is a shit band that's unlistenable - I mean, they are by no means as talented as bands like Lagwagon, which they always came off to me as a Ramones knockoff, but I listened to them a lot in the early 90's, so there is some nostalgia there for me that not everyone shares, but that's just my opinion.

[@bushleague3472]

@@OfficialJBAllen Oh Wow. I'm going to see my first punk show in quite a few years next week... A Wilhelm Scream with Belvedere. Two long term underground scatecore staples that were likely spawned out of the Lagwagon pitri dish. IMO that "prog- punk" sound has been largely driving the underground scene ever since pop punk went comercial, with a plethora of great new bands showing up even since 2017, so dont nobody try to play down Lagwagon's influence.

[@PalmelaHanderson]

I was a white teenager in suburbia in the early 00's. Bands like Sum 41, Blink-182, Nofx (yes, they get lumped in, they may be "real punks," but if it walks like a duck...), and New Found Glory take me back to fucking around with the homies, playing Perfect Dark, and smoking weed on summer nights in the time of AOL Instant Messenger. That feeling can never be replicated or replaced. Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

[@eyegetbaked]

Much better example of what mxpx brings to the table life in general is the dopest dope around

[@eyegetbaked]

And what about fenix tx?(river fenix) so many bands who had one super dope album , and then fizzled out

[@bushleague3472]

@@eyegetbaked I wouldnt say MXPX had only one great album, Going the Way of the Buffalo was great. And their "return to form album", Panic, was also good. At this point I think they have truely lost their edge though.

[@TolietWater]

@@bushleague3472 Pokinatcha, Teenage Politics, Life In General, and Buffalo are great albums (Also Let It Happen for B-Sides) but I don’t care about the middle part of their career except some songs I like the self titled tho

[@dylancerreta9913]

Just wanted to add The Wonder Years to the Sad Boy Era. Probably one of the biggest bands from that era

[@billyruben6540]

I didn't realize until this video that Sad Boy was a thing. And I just got into The Wonder Years. I guess I like Sad Boy Punk! *shrug*

[@LuisHernandez-mx2yi]

If I'm honest, everyone should start with Blink 182, they're basically the epitome of what pop punk is

[@djj8750]

Pop punk didn't start in the mid-90s.

[@e-heromanny4348]

It didn’t but I think it’s safe to say modern day pop punk is more influenced by the mid 90’s TRL-core era than compared to the 80’s.

[@colico14]

@@djj8750 In the sense that we know it now, it did.

[@leahflower9924]

Blink was inspired by heavier pop punk bands like descendents and screeching weasel

[@SpiralSine6]

I think I’d definitely add a little Avril for the TRL/early 00s era. Some people can argue whether she’s more pop punk or just pop rock, but when it comes down to it when I think of “pop punk” she’s bound to come up.

[@jon897]

Jumping on that kickstarter. Mongolia has got to be one of the most remote places I've ever been, and the people were wonderful.

[@bubbabazaar9053]

I think the best already made starter kit would be the Punk-O-Rama Vol.1 DVD. It gets you introduced to a lot of the best punk bands around.

[@_Devil]

"I Wanna Be Sedated" was in Burnout 3, so anyone who played that game religiously like me will know that track by heart

[@neilkennethofficial]

Listen to MxPx's "Responsibility" then Sum 41's "Motivation" and tell me the similarities with the choruses.

[@cyndaxero3363]

Haha glad someone else noticed! They should very much alike, so I wonder if sum41 drew any inspiration from mxpx or if it was just a huge coincidence

[@ebalmes]

Listen to MxPx next big thing, then listen to good charlottes the young and the hopeless song. Good charlotte completely ripped off the sound. I keep forgetting to ask mike Herrera if he’s ever made that connection.

[@nuancedhistory]

Most of us guys started with "Move Along" by All American Rejects because of a Bionicle commercial...

[@errix]

As a lego and pop punk fan, could you please send a link?

[@failed.senses]

I know it's off topic but I'd love to see another part of your "Bands that should've been bigger" series! Of course I'm not suggesting this without having a specific band in mind which I just recently discovered but since then truly helped me dealing with my own mental health issues better than I was before. Their name is "Capstan", A band , nowadays often described as "alternative emo", combining a wide range of musical influences in their sound like emo, post-hardcore, melodic hardcore, easycore and how you tend to call it "sad boy pop pumk". IMO they really deserve way more attention because they're musically and lyrically one of the best bands I've discovered in many years. Greetings from Germany and sorry for OT

[@justinjones-allen7725]

I feel like not including the band Bowling For Soup in this list is a shame. 😔

[@philipbeadle6446]

Blink-182 and Newfound Glory were the two bands that really got me into pop punk back when I was in like 4th or 5th grade. I liked MXPX too, but I was one of those kids that went to church on Sundays and youth group multiple times a week, so I liked bands like Reliant K too haha

[@IceBreakBottle]

Reliant K were good man

[@philipbeadle6446]

@@IceBreakBottle Hell yeah, I still listen to some of their stuff on occasion

[@CaptainAugust]

TSSF is the best starter band, and the best middle band, and the best ending band 🥰

[@gurudave]

At the end of the day, it all depends on your definition of "pop punk". If you base it on "popularity", then there's a case for bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Pennywise, Bad Religion etc. to be coined "Pop Punk". IMO, "pop punk" is more aligned to a sound which more accurately fits bands like Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Fallout Boy, Simple Plan, Something Corporate, New Found Glory etc. To me this genre is loosely aligned with the "skate punk" genre which incorporates the majority of the 90s fat wreck chords, epitaph bands etc.

[@alexnash2361]

I'd definitely use the term 'pop punk' to refer to the cheesier more whiney vocals of The bands you listed like Sum 41, Bowling for Soup, Blink 182 etc. They're quite vastly different from bands like Lagwagon & Bad Religion. Plus I think Screeching Weasel are an awesome band along with all their other projects like Riverdales, Methadones, Queers.

[@fadedidentity]

I still get emotional listening to bands like The Story So Far and Title Fight. brings me back to my late high school/early college days when those songs got me through some really tough times. and who could forget Tumblr, what a time to be alive. great bands, great era of music. best era of pop punk IMO.

[@rainelol1841]

I started with Sum 41 because that's what I always listened to at around 5 years old. I've been listening to them ever since

[@karl_margs]

Not one mention of Dag Nasty. For shame! "Four on the Floor" is an iconic pop punk/melodic hardcore album.

[@mineral520]

My entrance was green day then blink and then the Ramones sealed my love of punk music. If I were to try and get someone into pop punk I'd definitely go with dookie and enema of the state(then go back to dude ranch). Then let them choose where to go from there. Say what you want about Ben Weasel but screeching weasel is awesome, even after his Christian or Catholicism reawakening. What punk band needs guitar shredding though? A two note "solo" can sound great and totally work in a punk song.

[@KevinCreamore]

Personally I really like Bikage & Hope by the Descendants

[@StaleBranflakes]

I work at zumiez and right after you talked about The Anthem by Good Charlotte it started playing on our pop punk playlist LOL such a good vid Finn!

[@livinginoklahomacityofficial]

Cool list. But c'mon... 1. No Green Day? Am I hallucinating that didn't happen? 2. I'm not sure how to digest that Blink 182 are better musicians than Descendents. Um... what??? Bill Stevenson is quite possibly Travis Barkers favorite drummer. Easy top 5. Everyone in Descendents is a better player than members of 90% of this list.

[@timmiller8845]

Totally agree with No. 1, not sure how it's possible to not include Green Day in a pop-punk starter kit. Like them or not they are one of the most influential bands on all the pop-punk bands that came after. Good video otherwise, pretty solid list.

[@sollamander2206]

An NHL player was wearing a Ramones shirt to a press conference recently, reporter asked what his favorite Ramones song was. His response was "I'll be honest, I have no idea who Ramone is." I remember finding an MxPx cd at a friend's house and he gave it to me bc he thought they were deeply uncool. I remember being surprised by how good it was, and since I was also into 2000s metalcore, a band being christian in the alternative scene did not feel like the disqualifier it once was. My favorite misheard lyric is a guy I was friendly with's reaction to "High Regard" by The Story So Far. He said "I didn't realize Parker had autism" He thought the chorus went "Cause when I barely fuck up you just recoil and weep, what do you want from the autistic kid who got in too deep?"

[@laxbro7ify]

If you really want to ease them into it: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Lesser known, upbeat, positive Boston- style punk: Street Dogs -- (Back to the World album). Sk8punk : Pennywise (Unkown Road & About Time). Anyone that also appreciates country or rockabilly: Social Distortion Christians: Mxpx or Relient K Elvis fans: The Blaggards (just the Suspicious Minds cover)

[@theevildrummingsithlord1492]

Street Dogs were criminally underrated. Shame they broke up. I'd personally also add their self-titled album and Fading American Dream, just because those albums are also quite fun.

[@SconnerStudios]

Me first and the gimme gimmes don't have any original songs, do they? They're a great band, but pretty much all their work is cover songs

[@laxbro7ify]

@@SconnerStudios correct. If someone is older, or is a fan of standards, country, 80s pop, 90s pop, or show tunes, and might like upbeat punk arrangements of them....Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a really good way to ease them to into the genre.

[@laxbro7ify]

@@theevildrummingsithlord1492 100% agree. Saw them with Social D at Revolution in So Fla -- Bought "Back to the World" directly from Mike after their set. Super-approachable and down-to-earth guy when I was talking with him. My kids grew up listening to that CD on the way to skate and surf.

[@theevildrummingsithlord1492]

@@laxbro7ify Whoa, that's bound to be awesome! I never had a chance to see them live, but I did work on a long drum cover series where I played through a lot of their songs. Much to my surprise (I guess I shouldn't be, considering how down to Earth they are), they were supportive all along.

[@eugenesmith4299]

Hey Finn, have you heard MxPx's 2018 self-titled album? It's killer

[@ahernesto1681]

The Mongolian part was actually a really nice addition

[@davidhastoomanyinterests6361]

Lagwagon sold so many shirt back in the days...they were the first bands that had merch that people would were that didn't know their music. Way ahead of the curve these guys.

[@biznatcho7]

Their Punkers shirt in the style of the Snickers logo is iconic in my mind.

[@timothylyon8175]

I love how everytime I watch Finn's videos, I have a Playlist for the rest of the evening.

[@californiapoontappa]

In the weasels defense equal rights equal fights

[@princealigorna7468]

My starter kit would be Ramones, Dickies, Descendants, No Use For a Name, NOFX, MxPx, Green Day, Offspring, Blink, Starting Line (or really any of the Drive-Thru bands), Say Anything, Real Friends, Wonder Years, and You Me At Six. There also needs to be a space for at least one Vagrant band and one Sideonedummy band, but I can't decide which I'd pick. Maybe Weezer fits on there as well?

[@juliendidelot]

Next video: the starter kit to discover the youtube channel of the punk rock mba ! Nevermind... Pop-Punk and Finn are both great. Always as pleasant and rewarding to watch your videos. 👍🏻 🙂

[@jonnylawless6797]

I started with blink in 1999, they paved the way for me to start listening to New Found Glory and Sum 41 and other bands like them.

[@peanutbutterisfu]

I remember when blink blew up in 1999, kids would be singing the songs walking by my house.

[@jonnylawless6797]

@@peanutbutterisfu I would have been one of those kids bro, I was seven and my dad bought me Enema of the State on cassette

[@PunkCatLady]

Skate Punk is definitely my all time favorite subgenre ever. I got an absolute dogshit NOFX tattoo the night I turned 18.

[@thenew400.]

Skate punk had the best bands with the faster tempos and was a little more aggressive. NOFX was the first concert I ever saw back in 98.

[@MCBard-ru7yu]

Skate punk is my favorite sub genre of punk. Strung out, pennywise, bad religion! Some of my favorites right there.

[@dkarahtee5340]

As it should be ☺️

[@nathanshlap]

Before I watch the video, here's my starter kit. Entry level: Blink 182, New Found Glory, Allister, Mxpx, Motion City Soundtrack, Yellowcard, the first Something Corporate album The good shit: Home Grown, Mest, Denver Harbor, Amazing Transparent Man, Audio Karate, Never Heard Of It, Antifreeze, Count The Stars, Left Front Tire, Sloppy Meateaters (ignore their first album imo) Also worth consideration: Knockout, Showoff, Graveltrap, Zebrahead, Tsunami Bomb, Sugarcult, Wakefield, Mi6, Cauterize, The Matches, Not By Choice

[@nathanshlap]

Yeah I just did a list lol

[@austinhein239]

Home Grown! Have never seen their name anywhere outside of my Spotify lol. Great band

[@nathanshlap]

@@austinhein239 Yeah. Kings Of Pop is a classic

[@TolietWater]

@@nathanshlap I like the first Home Grown album the most honestly (And the Wusappaning EP, Hanging Out is super underrated) the only problem is that it’s too long lol

[@lexidarling]

I went to Warped every year from 2014 to 2016 and even as a mid-late 20 something I already felt old there. I do have a lot of good memories of that era though, and watching videos like Late Nights in My Car and Elevated by State Champs always takes me right back to those crazy summers.

[@natemiller6854]

Lagwagon 🤘 And you picked the right song from them. So good. That took me back. MXPX one of the best live bands I've ever seen.

[@Eclecticompany]

How did no Kerplunk/Dookie era Green Day make the cut? Or 24 Hour Revenge Therapy by Jawbreaker? Also, were the lyrics of The Descendants supposed to be ironic?

[@timidstein888]

I think for me it was the following: Blink, Greenday, MxPx, NFG and early Good Charlotte. Then this led to also listening to NOFX, Rancid, Anti Flag, etc. And also discovering the more post hardcore-emo bands too. Never hugely got into any sad boi bands.

[@donniedixon7412]

I'll never unhear "Matt Damon" now, thanks for that lol.

[@santosaquelarres2626]

Amazing video as usual, i must say that i am just about to go into a studio next week with my band, we are going to record our first song (and its actually a Pop Punk song), so its pretty nice to actually see this in my feed today. Greaty content and i really enjoy the european jokes, greetings from Spain :,)

[@FinnMckentyPRMBA]

Thank you!

[@IceBreakBottle]

My dad is a pastor at a lutheran church. Growing up I could only listen to christian music, so MXPX and P.O.D were saviors for my childhood. My first album was Dude Ranch by Blink 182. I saved up for that album and went and bought it, the next day my dad stole that shit off me and threw it in the bin :(

[@samanderson6194]

At least it's in the Past..or Your dad's A sick duck

[@jacobprice8048]

Toy Dolls are an incredible pop punk band as well. Probably the most talented punk band period

[@dannorris642]

I'm glad you're talking about some of the more unsavory elements of the genre (Ben Weasel, Descendents' old lyrics, etc.). It may all seem like pg-13, teenage fun, and it was to some degree, but there's so much about this stuff that I don't miss. It was like a dysfunctional disney land.

[@FinnMckentyPRMBA]

Especially in the 80s and 90s

[@yourfavoritetrex]

I'm so glad finn mentioned state champs and stand atlantic in this video instead of some random garage bands

[@mxwx51]

I appreciate the love for MxPx. And it's nice to see someone else saying what I've been saying for years: They were a skate punk band. They did get poppier as the years passed though. Their new stuff has been great.

[@TolietWater]

Pokinatcha and Teenage Politics are really good skate punk albums in addition to the pop punk stuff, even Life in General and Buffalo still have skate punk

[@mxwx51]

@@TolietWater, agreed!

[@noahstonerfilms]

11:10 -"if they could actually play..." the descendents are great musicians. Overall their discography is far more diverse than blink182, musically.

[@bushleague3472]

Not to mention Bill is pretty much the best producer in the genere.

[@livinginoklahomacityofficial]

Bill Stevenson is quite possibly Travis Barkers favorite drummer. Easy top 5. Everyone in Descendents is a better player than members of 90% of this list.

[@bushleague3472]

@@livinginoklahomacityofficial Lol, rivaled only be Lagwagon... that band thats '"not as good as Greenday".

[@bmorestance]

I dont give a shit. MXPX was awesome in late 90s. Life in General was really a perfect album. Straight through fast as fuck. Loved it.

[@bushleague3472]

Yeah, when I think quality pop punk I basically think of MXPX and No Use For a Name. Those guys had such great melody while still retaining alot of punk energy.

[@bmorestance]

@@bushleague3472 Yup, when you find that fast punk beat (nofx, mxpx, nufan), you find all the similar bands alike. No Use was just as good. I liked Making Friends the best... classics.

[@bushleague3472]

@@bmorestance For me, the whole apeal of No Use over the others was Tony's songwriting. I agree that the early albums were classics, but IMO Tony's songwriting just got better with age. More Betterness was lyricaly briliant and really hit home with me in 99. Feel Good Record was crushingly dark, and still hits home with me now.

[@TolietWater]

Their first four albums are gold, the middle part of their career is where it got a bit worse with some great songs but by the 2010s they started to become great again

[@testingmyaudioaddiction3452]

I will die on the hill of Derek DisCanio being the definitive singer in the pop-punk scene. That dude can sing.

[@patrickstar6247]

Always fucking great live too

[@IceBreakBottle]

Too bad it's not about being able to sing

[@testingmyaudioaddiction3452]

@@IceBreakBottle it truly is sad. It’s about being catchy and good looking

[@IceBreakBottle]

@@testingmyaudioaddiction3452 How old are you? Maybe Tik tok pop punk is about being catchy and good looking.. that's really not punk rock or what pop punk originated as. If that's what you're listening to, there is much better "pop punk" out there. MGK and things like that is trash.

[@testingmyaudioaddiction3452]

@@IceBreakBottle I listen to everything, and all music that popular in any genre has an element of catchiness to it. Even punk. They try not to because they are trying to be anti-establishment, but anything that tries to be that becomes the establishment real quick when it gets a following.

[@s.noon.v]

I started listening to blink 182 and ended up listening real obscure punk bands and i'm still love with blink

[@bluepinkman4785]

Green Day and Blink-182 introduced me to pop punk but my favorite era is 2010s pop punk. My pop punk band starter pack for beginners is New Found Glory because they influenced a lot of 2010's pop punk band.

[@daianapardo6143]

Great video, Finn! Love your content. Hugs from Argentina!

[@FinnMckentyPRMBA]

Thank you!

[@los_sin_nombre_]

Scott wasn’t a terrible drummer in any capacity, just a solid punk drummer who fit perfectly with their style at the time. Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch had solid drums, and not even being 20 and accomplishing is impressive as well.

[@shoogerkane]

In their heyday, Ramones, and a handful of years later, Descendents were just called "punk". There was no commonly recognized term "pop punk". (before the 90s). How does Green Day escape mention in any starter kit of pop punk. Too big maybe? They were the first band I specifically remember being called pop punk, before the term gained any significant steam. An article I only half remember, the author described Green Day as "combining bits of Ramones and Descendents..." and "...they keep a focus on pop melody... 'Pop punk', if you will." That article introduced me to Descendents. Big fan of theirs.

[@PikkaBird]

Dude, when he started saying "Story..." I was just about ready for him to say "Story of The Year". The description seemed to fit, and they did it pretty early on.

[@floridapunkarchivist]

Greetings from FL. I appreciate your honesty especially regarding NOFX and totally being pop punk especially after recently sitting with him. As far as Lagwagon, his name is Joey Cape and it's hilarious you say you like his voice because they were my favorite band from '96 to right around the time from the release of this song which was 2002....the lyrics are the most well timed written lyrics as Joey has not sounded good since 2002.....have seen them perform a thousand times starting in '96 and it's just insane to watch him live now.....they started playing a half key lower a while ago and even then it seems like they need to be an additional step lower to match his voice...poor guy lost his voice over 2 decades ago....to his credit he did mention in an interview that he regrets singing at such a high pitch earlier in his career. I'm glad he didn't as Duh , Trashed, and Hoss would not have sounded as energetic half step lower or more. Trashed is easily their best album IMO.

[@mikephilly6748]

Their was like a middle era that got me into pop punk in the late 2000s early 2010s with Mayday Parade, Every Avenue, and other insert bands I like in high school. Fearless Records was at he top for pop punk in that time

[@mc98smusicmoviereviews93]

Face To Face, NOFX and the Descendants are the kings of '90s skate punk/pop-punk.

[@RatelHBadger]

Where do you start? GreenDay - Offspring - Hüsker Dü - Blink 182 - Sublime - NoFX - Rancid - No Doubt - Avril Lavigne is good for female voice - Paramore - Weezer - Sum42 - The Atari's - Stereogram (for some Kiwi flavour) - Supergrass (for a bit of Britpop cheese) - Goldfinger for that Ska influence - The Donnas - Bowling for Soup just to have 1985 on repeat for hours & Ben Folds' Rocking the Suburbs song.

[@erikberry6408]

Poser Credentials

[@DeIeted]

12:42 Macintosh desktop loading on an HP Pavilion xt-whatever that specific one was im such a loser for noticing that i know

[@tkirchmann]

Pop Punk Starter Kit: Skateboard Air walks Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 Skater chain Frosted tips T shirt that's at least 2 sizes too big Some music I guess

[@Landonio]

Loved the Stand Atlantic inclusion.

[@EricBourassa]

I grew up 90's then got into Descendents, Ramones, and Weasel. That 2000's stuff missed me by a mile, but I tell you what Stand Atlantic sound awesone. Imma gun check them out

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

Hey if you want a contemporary(ish) pop punk band that keeps a bit of that grit that seemed to get polished off in the early 2000’s check out Direct Hit! Their album Brainless God is a pop punk concept album about the apocalypse and it rules. Their other stuff is solid too. Oh, also Mean Jeans for some solid ramonescore pop punk.

[@EricBourassa]

@@SuperSecretAgentNein I took a screenshot of this. Thanks!

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

@@EricBourassa no problem dude, hope you enjoy it!

[@trevorwooten2910]

Believe it or not, a high school teacher of mine introduced me to New Found Glory cuz he happened to say they were his favorite band lol My pop punk starter kit was NFG, blink 182, Relient K, Cartel, and The Starting Line

[@cinnamoproductions8432]

Screeching Weasel (despite a lot of people thinking they’re kind of a ramones rip off) cemented their place in pop punk history and probably could’ve risen to the heights of Green Day but Ben Weasel kinda ruined every chance the band had of big mainstream appeal. He tried to go big with the Riverdales but that was already past when punk broke big in 1994. Screeching Weasel was the right band at the wrong time. Even though they might have really simple music it’s still super catchy and fun to sing along to and Bark Like a Dog and My Brain Hurts are some of my favorite pop punk albums. Other than that the rest of the video is awesome.

[@Radam_Jay]

Right. He plays a song that was recorded poorly as if that's indicative of their whole catalog. Ben is the worst, but they were highly influential and have some of the catchup pop punk ever made. There's a reason blink covered them on their first album.

[@TolietWater]

@@Radam_Jay Yeah Finn is completely misinformed about Screeching Weasel they pumped out a lot of garbage songs because they liked doing that but they still have a lot of great music

[@habijjj]

The album hang is an absolutely banger album from lagwagon easily in my top 100 albums

[@RyanSchilling-fg9qn]

2010 to 2018 pop punk and emo is the best genre of music ever. Neck deep, TSSF, real friends, knuckle puck, as it is, state champs, broadsides, Boston manor, like Pacfic, tiny moving parts etc Pop punk and emo any era is my fav genre ever but the 2010-2018 era is my fav style of pop punk ever.

[@Martyjowa]

I think it's a mistake to start in chronological order. You get them into the more hip and modern stuff first so they can later appreciate where it came from.

[@amb158]

My first introduction to punk was the ramones. Followed by Iggy and the Stooges and Social Distortion and the Dead Kennedys. The rest is history. Still some of my favorite bands of all time

[@Jmarden97]

I barely knew any of the old bands besides a few lol probably since i started on bands later like 1998-1999 for starters id always say blink 182, new found glory, sum 41, good charolette and bowling for soup because those are some of if not the biggest pop punk bands of the late 90s early 2000s. But id definitely add in bands like neck deep, simple plan, real friends, a day to remember, nofx, basically anything from like 07- to 2017 were all bands to add but wayy to many to type!

[@sammasters2000]

this is a good starter kit doing one song per band and going from the beginning to now would be an ideal Playlist for a kid especially. if you put any more it's going to go from starter kit to hears my favorite shit. always great vids to watch before work 🤘

[@BigOwl51]

I told my girlfriend that if any greasy metalheads or punks ask her to “name 3 songs”, that she should say “oh, this is a band? I thought it was a clothing brand”

[@BrandonKClark86]

Maybe a post hardcore starter kit video next? I grew up on Thrice Saosin Brand new Fall of Troy stuff like that. I'd like to know what I missed

[@simondaydreamer9221]

I tend to agree a lot with you regarding music in general Finn but one thing I highly disagree with is regarding Screeching Weasel. Ben Weasel shit person ? Ok I won't argue with that. But shit music ? I think they put out crazy good albums (My Brain Hurts among the others) and influenced so many bands in the 90's. If you're into pop punk but the more "punk rock" side of it, to me, SW is on top of the list of bands to check out with The Queers probably.. But hey, just my opinion of course haha! Love your content !!

[@leahflower9924]

Fat mike is paying him

[@benkendall5562]

I've always favoured more the pop-punk bands that also took influence from other genres as well (e.g. blink Self-Titled, TSSF proper dose) or added other instruments in the mix (yellowcard, motion city soundtrack). Whilst I love older green day, neck deep and others, the same sound can get boring and uninspiring after a while, pop punk is amazing when used right and not overdone!

[@dan.r9220]

Give them the THPS1/2 sound tracks and say your welcome.

[@Zogun_85]

I was today years old (almost 37) when I learned that Coolidge was NOT written by Millencolin. Also found out that Bodyjar had done a cover as well, mind blowing! To my defense I'm from Sweden and kind of discovered skate-punk through Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 (I had heard Bad Religion's The Gray Race album before though). Also, there's a HUUUUUUUUGE GAP between The Anthem (2002) to Quicksand (2011). I demand a part 2/filler episode god damnit :) The Ataris - So Long Astoria, BAYSIDE (for real!), Fall Out Boy, Paramore etc etc etc. Those years were probably the biggest years for pop-punk :)

[@notgood38]

Throw in Dillinger Four for the more hardcore adjacent stuff and Joyce Manor for whatever that part of the genre that was

[@jenniferkreisz7639]

The Vandals🤙

[@silentrevolver4600]

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

[@bushleague3472]

Lagwagon not as good as Greenday, are you serious? And right after you state how tallented RKL was... almost everyone in Lagwagon played in RKL. Lagwagon never went mainstraim because they remain a skatepunk band to this day. They were also one of the first melodic punk bands where the metal influence was blatant, which IMO would give credibility to the argument that they were pretty influencial, as IMO the whole "skatecore" sound has been a pretty big part of the underground punk scene for a couple decades.

[@karl_margs]

Not to mention side projects like The Other with Bomer laying down some sick bass riffs. RIP

[@bushleague3472]

@@karl_margs Joey Cape and Chris Rest were both founding members of RKL, which puts them among a very few architects that were making skatepunk prior to Suffer. Chris Flippin, and Little Joe both played with RKL. Both Dave Raun, and their previous drummer Derick played in RKL. Furthermore, the Lagwagon sound was a continuence of the RKL groundwork rather than being just another NOFX/ Bad Religion ripoff.