The Mullinax Pop Punk Playlist
Now that it’s been over 20 years since the debut of the iPod and release of Bridget Jones’ Diary, we’re officially sanctioning 2000s nostalgia culture.
No, we don’t mean dig those leopard-print skinny jeans out of your closet.
We’re talking about revisiting the genre that gave us some of the loudest guitar riffs and catchiest hooks of all time – early 2000s pop punk.
You could call this a playlist. Or you could call it a 20-year time machine. Eyeliner on? All right, let’s mosh.
1985 -- Bowling for Soup
Don’t mind us. We’re just reminiscing about the 2000s by listening to a 2000s song reminiscing about the ‘80s. You might feel bad for Debbie, but that won’t stop you from getting up to dance when the massive chorus comes around.
All the Small Things -- Blink 182
Blink-182 leaned into the “pop” more than the “punk” for this song, trying for a “really catchy and basic” radio single. They got exactly what they wanted: the band’s best-selling and (arguably) catchiest song ever. Our favorite lyric: na-na na-na na-na na-na. Simple but effective.
Sk8er Boi -- Avril Lavigne
Romeo and Juliet? Eh. Jack and Rose? Boring. Neither couple holds a candle to this track’s narrator and her skater boy. Come on: he was a boy. She was a girl. How much more obvious can it get?
Basket Case -- Green Day
When Green Day released this three-chord classic in ‘94, no one paid much attention. It was the music video, featuring a wild-eyed Billie Joe Armstrong jamming on his guitar in a curiously decorated insane asylum, that propelled the track to MTV fame and, eventually, the pop punk history books.
Dear Maria, Count Me In -- All Time Low
One of the more recent tracks on this playlist, Dear Maria, Count Me In has been a pop-punk classic since its 2008 release. Fun fact: the Maria who inspired Alex Gaskarth to write it is now a vegan mother of two living in Austin, Texas -- and there’s currently a TikTok campaign for her to meet up with the Delilah of Plain White T fame.
Sugar, We’re Goin Down -- Fall Out Boy
If you have a hard time understanding the lyrics in this chorus, don’t feel bad -- Patrick Stump said he slurred them deliberately to make the song punkier. Articulation aside, we have this banger to thank for catapulting Fall Out Boy into the mainstream and shaping the pop punk genre.
In Too Deep -- Sum 41
One of Sum 41’s most famous songs, In Too Deep was memorably featured in American Pie 2 -- which may be the most “early 2000s” sentence in this article yet. We can’t hear the intro without seeing Jim, Kevin, Chris and Paul raising their red solo cups, and that’s how it should be.
Misery Business -- Paramore
Hayley Williams’ only competition for Queen of the 2000s is Paris Hilton. And while Paris may have brought us the denim mini skirt, she never brought us a song as scream-along-able as this one. Let’s take it from the top.
Helena -- My Chemical Romance
Who was the mystery Helena girl who inspired MCR’s hit song about loss and death, you ask? No, it wasn’t a girlfriend or even a faraway crush. It was Gerard Way’s late grandmother, Elena Lee Rush. Who said punk rockers can’t be sentimental?
My Own Worst Enemy -- Lit
Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff described this song as “the result of waking up and realizing you screwed up the night before.” So basically, this is the perfect soundtrack for your early morning commute to that workout class you signed up for last night (which means you now have to wake up and work out). My own worst enemy, indeed.
The Anthem -- Good Charlotte
A pre-third-chorus guitar solo. A music video with skating, black clothes and spiked hair. Can it get more pop punk? This is the anthem. Throw all your hands up. (Actually, don’t do that if you’re driving. Keep your hands on the wheel.)
Ocean Avenue -- Yellowcard
Maybe California inspired every Beach Boys song ever, but at least Floridians have this timeless punk pop banger. It’s a farewell to the band’s youthful days in Florida, and it’s one of the best emo songs of all time. Let your waves crash down.
