10 Punk Albums You Need To Own

Blink-182 have had a bit of a weird journey in punk rock circles. Though the band were originally a skate punk style outfit in the vein of NOFX, the end of the century saw them become the unofficial spokesmen for pop punk, with Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants becoming staples of the genre. People may have expected another mall-punk album from the band, but these guys had a few other plans going forward.

Coming together for their self-titled release in 2003, Blink had gone experimental, with songs that were a lot darker than their angsty counterparts. Instead of the usual three chord anthems we were accustomed to, this record took a lot of twists and turns into alternative rock and even gothic styles, complete with dark ballads like "I Miss You." Some fans may have been pissed, but this was exactly the direction that the band needed to stay relevant.

Sure, this sound might have been a bit drastic from the guys that gave you masterpieces like "Dysentery Gary," but the fact that they were willing to break from the formula so deliberately is more punk rock than any of their peers could have hoped for. Blink-182 may be back to their typical pop punk sound nowadays, but one can only speculate what it would sound like if they returned to this era.