Like it or not, pop punk has shown to be one of the most versatile forms of punk rock to emerge, and it’s shown time and time again that it simply won’t die, no matter how hard people try to kill it. Whether it’s 5 Seconds Of Summer playing at the EMA’s, or a garage band covering “All The Small Things” in your local dive bar, pop punk is everywhere. And if you can’t determine your Set Your Goals from your Sum 41’s, I’ve compiled this handy little guide to the various pop punk subgenres contained within this weird and wonderful genre.
Orgcore:
Orgcore actually covers a lot of different punk subgenres, but since it mainly grew out of pop punk, I saw it fit to mention this here. Orgcore gets its name via the fact that bands in the genre tend to be beloved by the website Punknews.org, so the name is more tongue-in-cheek if anything. Sonically, Orgcore bands tend to borrow a lot from genres such as emo, folk punk, indie rock and post-hardcore, and sometimes even all at once. The genre saw its unofficial beginning in the late 90’s, when San Francisco punks Jawbreaker broke up and a crop of bands influenced by them began to pop up and make their mark on the punk landscape. Simply put, if a band sound like they’re a Jawbreaker tribute act (or in some cases, a Superchunk tribute act), they’re most likely an Orgcore group. Key bands in the genre include the pride and joy of Gainesville, Hot Water Music in all their donkey-braying, twin-guitar employing glory. Alkaline Trio, before they fully embraced Hot Topic and became whatever the hell they are now and Against Me! before they recorded Transgender Dysphoria Blues. Orgcore bands also tend to embrace a DIY ethic and definitely fall more on the punk side of pop punk. Modern bands such as Joyce Manor, Tigers Jaw and Lemuria have carried on the Orgcore sound, and given it a fresh indie makeover, fit for Gen Y consumption, making sure that the genre won’t be going away soon.
Easycore:
Easily the funnest subgenre in pop punk, easycore has a multitude of ways you can define it. Also known by the names popcore or happy hardcore (actually a totally different genre, but I digress) at its most basic it’s simply pop punk with breakdowns. But at its most advanced, it’s pretty much one of the most insane and downright funnest genres in pop punk. The genre is generally agreed to have gained its name from New Found Glory’s 2008 Fall tour entitled “The Easycore Tour”, which also featured A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong as support acts. These three bands essentially form the trifecta of modern easycore, and influenced acts such as Set Your Goals and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! in the process. Easycore contains much influence from genres such as metalcore and hardcore, with gang vocals and breakdowns being a prominent trait. Some bands such as Abandoned By Bears and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! also prominently feature keyboards in their work, which can lead to a more upbeat and zany sound. Compared to most other pop punk subgenres, easycore definitely takes itself the least seriously, but in that respect it’s easily the funnest and most visceral of all the pop punk subgenres. Sometimes you just need something that’ll make you want to mosh to your hearts content, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When that time comes, chuck some Four Year Strong on and get ready for a beatdown in the key of happy.
Tr00 pop punk:
Coined by the humorous scene blog Stuff You Will Hate, “tr00 pop punk” refers to the wave of pop punk bands who’ve appeared in the last decade and taken the genre by storm. The key thing that defines these types of bands would have to be their over-reliance on incredibly emotional and angst-ridden lyrics. True, angsty lyrics are a staple of pop punk as a whole, but these bands elevate them to a borderline emo level of annoying. Much like easycore, tr00 pop punk also features prominent gang vocals, but it forgoes the breakdowns and aggressive vocals for a more “traditional” pop punk sound. Key bands in the genre include The Wonder Years (post-2009), The Story So Far, Real Friends, Neck Deep and Man Overboard (pre-2011) It’s hard to determine the exact origin of tr00 pop punk, but I’d say The Wonder Years “The Upsides” and Man Overboard’s “Real Talk”, both released in 2010 were probably the catalysts for the genre as a whole. When you picture kids with ‘Defend Pop Punk’ shirts, and played out pizzacore memes, you’re probably picturing the average fan tr00 pop punk kid. Personally, I like it, but if the thought of Tumblr kids posting Real Friends memes makes you want to run for cover, you’d best steer clear of this one.
Ramonescore:
In 1976, New York based punk rock band the Ramones released what would arguably become the blueprint for punk rock, their self-titled album. Following this, the band released a string of great albums throughout the 70’s such as Leave Home and Rocket To Russia that would cement their legacy as punk legends. In the late 80’s, bands such as Screeching Weasel and The Queers would take the template that the Ramones had originally pioneered and give it a fresh update for the hardcore era, standing in stark contrast to the heavier contemporaries of their time. Throughout the 90’s, record labels such as Lookout! and Asian Man would release multiple albums by Ramonescore bands, furthering the genres appeal throughout the decade. Ramonescore arguably reached its apex in the early 2000’s, when bands such as Teenage Bottlerocket and The Ergs! emerged and Ramonescore often crosses over with Orgcore, so occasionally you’ll get bands like the aforementioned Ergs! who blur the lines a bit between the subgenres. Ramonescore can be pretty fun at times, but holy shit it is easily the most derivative out of all these genres (although, that’s kinda the point, to be honest) .Ramonescore is one of the more stagnant of these subgenres and has mostly fell out of fashion in recent years, since there’s only so far you can go with three chords and your best Joey Ramone impression. However, some great recent bands in the genre such as Masked Intruder have emerged lately, proving that there’s still room for those those infamous chord progressions and black leather jackets in pop punk.
And there you have it. Part 2 should come sometime soon, focusing on more pop punk related genres. Thanks for reading 🙂
Patrick's Music Reviews 