Best Pop Punk Albums To Reclaim Your Wasted Youth

I don't think I knew a single kid who didn't have this CD stuck to the inside of his Discman. Even the ones who decried Blink as sell-outs couldn't help but sing along when "Small Things" would come on. Enema of the State is riddled with all of the immaturity you'd expect from its title, but there's a serious streak through tracks like "Adam's Song" and "Going Away to College" to capture the attention of all of our confusing adolescent emotions.

Dookie may have come out in 1994, but when I got to high school in 2001, it was still mandatory listening. Fed by Billy Joe Armstrong's sneering voice and Mike Dirnt's inimitable bass licks*, Dookie is still the soundtrack for the lazy days of adolescent rebellion. And with lines like, "I've got no motivation/Where is my motivation?" it's still all too relatable.

*Note that three of the five bass solos in that video are from this album

Like many kids my age, I first discovered Weezer when I was poking around the Windows 95 CD-Rom and discovered the music video for "Buddy Holly." At the turn of the century when CD burning technology became more widespread, The Blue Album was one of the most shared albums among my friend group. I probably went through three burned copies by the time I actually bought it (on vinyl, as an adult).

Twenty-four years after its release, it's still just as fresh as ever. Every song brings me back to carefree days at the skatepark or starting my first pop-punk band in eighth grade (this album informed half of the songs from our live set. Enema of the State informed the rest). Every second, from the opening acoustic of "My Name is Jonas" to the closing bass riff of "Only In Dreams" is pure pop punk bliss.

While Jimmy Eat World is definitely more emo than pop punk, their breakout hit, "The Middle," made them completely ubiquitous. Perhaps inspired by the music video for that single, Bleed American became the soundtrack to just about every rage thrown my freshman year. Throw this disc on at your next party to get the mood right. But now that you're older, you might not want to go as hard as you did in high school. We're not as young as we used to be, but Bleed American will help you forget that.

The album that started it all. From the eternal singalong of "Blitzkrieg Bop" to the tender "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend," pop punk would forever look back to the minimalist power chords and juvenile lyrics utilized on this record for inspiration. From the fashion to the ethos to the sound itself, The Ramones remains the most influential punk record of all time. Put it on if you need a reminder why.

For being such a brief cultural phenomenon, ska punk is timeless. And the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' masterpiece, Let's Face It is the biggest proof of that. You don't even have to go very far—just listen to "The Impression That I Get," and you'll instantly start skanking along. But Let's Face It is more than just a decent album with a killer single. It manages to stay more or less consistent, dipping into hardcore and reggae between blasts of pure ska goodness.

The Ataris might not have gotten much widespread attention until So Long, Astoria in 2003, but their 1999 release remains their masterpiece. This CD went into my Discman in the middle of eighth grade and didn't come out until a few months into 9th grade. Every palm-muted riff, every diary-worthy lyric, every rapid-fire drum beat oozes with all of the angst and naivety of adolescence. Nearly twenty years later, it's still enough to transport me back to all of the days I wasted with my friends over summer vacation.