6 Best Pop-Punk Bands

5. Plain White T's

Despite their grammatically incorrect name (you don't add apostrophes to pluralize words!), this Chicago outfit rocks hard with the best of them. I first saw them when they opened up for the band in my last entry (along with a then-unknown Paramore) and was wondering why they weren't bigger than they were. Then "Hey There Delilah" was released, and the rest is history. That song, of course, isn't a pop-punk song, nor is it indicative of their sound. I think their best song is probably "Breakdown," from their second album, "All That We Needed," my favorite album of theirs and one of my favorites of the early 2000s (you'll see this phrase a lot in this article.) Describing a scene of a guy who's on the edge, the song itself almost breaks down at the end from its escalating, frenetic energy. The band also made an excellent concept album, "Wonders of the Younger," a nostalgic ode to childhood that featured "Rhythm of Love," another non-pop-punk ballad that became a hit. But trust me: you should listen to the rest of their material.
Contributor

Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.