Five pop-punk songs that totally hold up after all these years

You can do a Google search of what the definition of pop-punk is. That would be one person's (or AI's) idea of what the rock subgenre is about. The issue is that it would not be completely true. Pop-punk always played with the edges.

One can also look up a list of pop-punk groups, but even that is misleading. Many groups have dabbled, even accidentally, in the subgenre. That is because it offers a flexibility that subgenres such as heavy metal don't. A band can still do weird stuff if it wants.

But what has made for a great pop-punk song? What are some of the best? The five below might be a good starting point.

Five pop-punk songs that will be worth listening to for decades to come

Taking Back Sunday - "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)"

Like a few of the bands that follow, Taking Back Sunday was more emo than pop-punk, though, to be fair, those two subgenres likely lived in the same neighborhood and one probably borrowed sugar from the other at times. Both can be bombastic and loud and "emotional" - hence, emo - and glossy with their production.

What makes this song slightly different from other TBS songs is the drums, raging guitars, and punky hook on the chorus fit post-punk more than emo. Again, the two subgenres could break bread together, but if they did, they would probably both enjoy this track. Plus, if you haven't heard it before, it will sound so good that you might believe it was just released. It wasn't. It came out in 2002.

Fall Out Boy - "Sugar, We're Goin Down"

This song stinks and the reason it stinks is because it is so good. In fact, it is so good that you will not get it out of your head for the next...Well, for the rest of your long life. The chorus is one of the catchiest things you will ever hear and that is not meant as any kind of hyperbole. You will know once you have heard the track.

In many ways, "Surgar, We're Goin Down" isn't just a pop-punk song, but the pop-punk song. No song better epitomizes the subgenre more than the driving tune that also feels like it could go disco at any point. This is certainly the band's best song and might become one of your favorite songs ever.

AFI - "Miss Murder"

The rhythm of this song is a beast. That is meant in a nice way. It is, as all great pop-punk should be, catchy. But what makes this song stand out, especially the "long" version, is that the chorus hook is so unexpected. The song almost seems boring until then when we realize the band has lied to us and they actually created a great song.

AFI has undergone a lot of different kinds of sounds but post-punk might have been their best. It allowed them to use their excellent sense of melody while also having some dark fun. Brilliance was going to be had.

Green Day - "Welcome to Paradise"

The question here is whether Green Day belongs to punk or pop-punk. Over the decades, the band is just simply, well...Green Day. Sure, they are rock with an edge, but they also helped create a Broadway musical. One cannot belong completely to punk if that happens. That is meant as no offense to the band.

There are a large number of songs from the group's third album, Dookie, that could be included on this list. While "Welcome to Paradise" is a must-listen-to song, Dookie might be the perfect example of pop-punk whether that was the band's intention or not. Music fans can make the decision of what subgenre the band belongs to, but the most important bit is that Green Day simply makes great songs.

My Chemical Romance - "Helena"

In many ways, knowing the true meaning of the track, the song is difficult to listen to. There is a lot of pain involved, but My Chemical Romance captures it perfectly. Band members Gerard and Mikey Way's beloved grandmother passed away and that death was turned into the art of this song.

The video is pretty bleak as well, and that includes a funeral. The song, though, turns into cathartic excellence as it is loud, angry, and sad. Just as it should have been. My Chem could be solely emo or solely pop-punk, but all we know is that they were great.

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