10 Best Pop-Punk Records

10. Singles Going Steady - The Buzzcocks

The Buzzcocks were the band that arguably started the pop-punk genre. With their unique brand of sing-song lyrics above buzzing guitars, the Buzzcocks took the modern pop song format and gave it a distinctive snarl. When this record came out, it became a staunch kick in the ass to the prog scene.

The band's presentation was also vital to the pop-punk genre, with frontman Pete Shelley being very unassuming about his role in the band and having little regard for the rock star life. Across Singles Going Steady, the band runs through their greatest hits which touch on themes of broken love and lust like on "Orgasm Addict" and "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)." The definitive sound of the band is featured prominently on "What Do I Get," whose frantic rhythm and rudimentary guitar solo became a blueprint for pop-punk song structure.

The reverberations of the Buzzcocks can still be felt in today's pop-punk, from bands as varied as in Green Day's tunefulness and even alt-rockers Nirvana taking them on tour. Oftentimes there seems to be a time limit on pop-punk, but these songs are a clear indicator of where all of the magic of the genre originally came from.