10 Amazing Albums That Will Make You Love Pop Punk Music

Even though pop punk was all over the charts, it was still considered an underground genre back in the '90s. While the alternative revolution brought a lot of underground talent above ground, bands like Bad Religion weren't necessarily getting the same kind of airplay that Pearl Jam was or anything. There was still room for punk to break through, and The Offspring gave us one of the greatest indie releases of all time on Smash.

Being part of the Epitaph scene that birthed acts like Bad Religion, what you get on this record is a lot closer to traditional punk rock, only with a pop fueled touch to every song. As much as a song like Gotta Get Away or Genocide might not have the sound of a traditional pop song, it's going to be impossible to get them out of your head after hearing them for the first time.

This wasn't just raw catchiness either, as Come Out and Play and Self Esteem became fixtures on MTV, showing just how much crossover appeal could be had with punk rock. In the years since, Smash was the record that kept on giving, as Epitaph could take more chances with acts on primetime. Compared to people crying sellout whenever a band crosses over to the mainstream, the trajectory of Smash is practically an indie label selling in.