While the pop-punk genre is back on the rise, this wouldn't have been possible were it not for those who initially guided its way - especially these 15 songs. From artists like Green Day to Fall Out Boy, pop-punk has taken various shapes over the years, but it has still grown into a unified front that listeners just can't get enough of. There are plenty of iconic tunes within this genre, but not all of them can say that they are not only smash-hits, but are also genre-defining songs.
Everybody has their favorite bands and songs within a scene, but these 15 songs are the staples of pop-punk that make the genre what it is. They are the songs that you know all the words to, whether you want to or not, because they are the very foundations on which pop-punk was built. These are the songs that have encouraged more people to fall in love with pop-punk than any other, enabling them to find the flavors and bands that speak loudest to them.
15 Basket Case by Green Day
The Song That Created The Pop-Punk Explosion
Before anybody starts lamenting about this list's very first entry, let's acknowledge that "Basket Case" is rarely anybody's favorite Green Day song. This list is about being iconic, and every chord, drum part, lyric, and second of "Basket Case"'s music video can be described as "iconic." There is a solid argument that Basket Case is pop-punk's most important moment, because it is literally impossible to imagine what the genre would have looked like without it.
14 My Friends Over You by New Found Glory
One Of Pop-Punk's Most Definitive Moments
New Found Glory felt instantly undeniable. Combining the pace and power of hardcore bands like H2O and Gorilla Biscuits with the bands that characterized the 90s pop-punk explosion, Florida's New Found Glory arrived to mass fanfare. They were already having landmark pop-punk moments like enticing Rachel Leigh Cook into their garage on Dressed To Kill, but "My Friends Over You" is essential to any pop-punk playlist. Its riff is instantaneously catchy, and its sentiment is as feelgood as a Can't Hardly Wait rewatch.
13 The Downfall Of Us All by A Day To
ADTR Revive Pop-Punk For A New Generation
It was a dark time for pop-punk in the second half of the 2000s. After the superstar explosion of the likes of Good Charlotte in the early 2000s, emo really took the driver's seat while the genre had something of an identity crisis. Ocala's A Day To revived the genre's fun and star power, churning out hit single after hit single. The chugging a cappella intro to "The Downfall Of Us All" defines iconic, inspiring listeners to truly cut loose. Meanwhile, ADTR continues to put out some of the catchiest singles by any band in rock music.
12 All The Small Things by Blink-182
One Video Rewrites A Genre's Whole Narrative
It's incredible to think about in 2025, but certain people of a certain age have a real problem with Blink-182. They represent a tipping point for pop-punk, a point in time when Blink-182 forced the world to reevaluate the "punk" part of that equation. The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show gurned alongside Carson Daly and appeared in big-budget Hollywood movies, and those things were antithetical to punk principals.
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Bands would be (correctly) applauded by their scene for these things today, and the boyband-esque "All The Small Things" video changed punk's principles forever. The song is great, the band are legends, and ripping on a Backstreet Boys video with a man in a banana suit changed it all. That certainly earns it a place amongst the rest on this list.
11 Want You Bad by The Offspring
Zero Quirkiness From Dexter And Co. On This Pop-Punk Classic
The Offspring have a slew of hits that can be described as iconic, but most of them all skew away from pop-punk. "Come Out And Play", "Gone Away", "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" are all enormous songs that have pop-punk traits, but the peppy power-chords and cliché-ridden lyrics of "Want You Bad" make it The Offspring's most overtly pop-punk hit. It is relentless with its good-time vibes and is also the most like Green Day that they have ever sounded.
10 Fat Lip by Sum 41
The Sums Show Beastie Boys And Heavy Metal Both Work In Pop-Punk
Straight out of the skatepark, Sum 41's "Fat Lip" arrived with nuclear impact ahead of the release of their classic All Killer, No Filler album. The raps are simple and were delivered during a time when Fred Durst could share a mic with Method Man; the riff that opens the song has more "Bounce" than Iggy Azalea, and every single moment of it felt good to belt at the top of your lungs. Fat Lip is one of the most iconic rock songs of the 21st century, and the world is about to be a sadder place without Sum 41.
9 December by Neck Deep
The Distant Relative Of Green Day's Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
When Green Day included the acoustic ballad "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" on 1997's Nimrod, it was a bold and brave move. Billie Joe Armstrong had suffered death threats for changing record labels, so picking up an acoustic would be seen as sacrilege to some. That song is generation-defying as it still means something new to somebody new nearly 30 years from its release, but it also gave birth to the "pop-punk ballad."
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December by Neck Deep is the King of the Pop-Punk Ballad. It was even remixed to feature two separate scene legends in Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carraba. As the snow falls and November 30th es, timelines across the globe are flooded by this tearjerker.
8 Sk8r Boi by Avril Lavigne
The Moment Pop Embraced Punk
A pop singer's journey to stardom and how it happens is only as interesting as one can make it, but that pop-punk was so big that pop put a teen sensation there is fascinating. The singles from Avril Lavigne's Let's Go are beloved by a generation, and that is based on their quality and not their marketing budget. "Sk8r Boi" affirmed Avril Lavigne as the people's choice for Queen of Pop-Punk, the taboos of commercialism having been entirely eroded by bands like Blink-182 and Good Charlotte at this point.
7 Came Out Swinging by The Wonder Years
Pop-Punk Indulges Its ionate Mature Side
Philadelphia's The Wonder Years inspire a special kind of devotion among their fans. Sharing as much in common with the social observations of Counting Crows and REM as traditional pop-punk influences, "Came Out Swinging" is pop-punk at its ionate best. Grizzled, older and over it, Dan 'Soupy' Campbell's vocal delivery in the final crescendo of this song could move a mountain - even if he is complaining about his lower back and how getting old is a creaky, slow, and weird experience.
6 Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard
Emo and Pop-Punk Hold Hands And Enjoy their Hometown
In pop-punk, there are two options: you either love your hometown and you sing about it, or you leave your hometown and you sing about it. "Ocean Avenue" is the best example of praising the place where you grew up in pop-punk history. The word "perfect" is rarely meant literally, but there is a legitimate case for "Ocean Avenue" to be considered a perfect song. From its stuttering opening riff to its life-affirming chorus, "Ocean Avenue" is an undeniable timeless classic loaded with heart and authentic expression.