My Ten Favorite Pop-Punk Albums of the 21st Century

I'd like to thank Mark for requesting/suggesting/proposing that I follow up my list of my favorite power pop albums of the 21st century with lists of my favorite pop-punk albums from each century. Today we'll tackle this century. It has been great fun to dig back into the pop-punk albums I've liked the best over the past two-and-a-half decades. I don't write the quantity of pop-punk reviews that I used to, but there are still a lot of bands in this genre that I really love. It's hard to define when exactly pop-punk became a genre onto itself. I'd probably say mid-'80s, which puts us around four decades into it. And that puts the majority of pop-punk's history in this century. I could easily have gone twenty or thirty deep on this list. But for the sake of consistency, I'm keeping it to just ten with a few honorable mentions. My challenge is that I'm going from memory since I no longer have a physical music collection (Yeah, I'm one of those people!). So I apologize in advance for anything that I've overlooked or forgotten. Let's get to it! 

10. Parasites - Solitary (2008)
The greatness of Dave's '90s output often overshadows his more recent work. Solitary is a vintage effort from what is probably my favorite pop-punk band of all-time.

9. The Putz - Clinically Inane (2017) 
I could have picked any Putz album for this spot, but Clinically Inane has the slight edge over the others. When it comes to modern bands that have taken that classic Lookout! Records sound and kept it going strong into this century, The Putz is hard to beat.

8. Jagger Holly - The Last of the International Playboys (2018) 
I would argue that while the '90s was the heyday for pop-punk, there have been numerous '90s-inspired pop-punk records in recent years that can stand toe-to-toe with the best of the albums they emulated. This is one of them.

7. The Bat Bites - self titled (2014) 
Duuuuude! How underrated is this album?! This was the first and only long player from Rotterdam's The Bat Bites, who featured several star players from the modern-day Euro pop-punk scene. If you don't own this album, you need to buy it ASAP! 

6. The Tattle Tales - Hearts in Tune (2006)
It can be weird with albums that helped get you through awful times in your life. The autobiographical significance is undeniable. But does the music still hold up when you listen to the album years later? In the case of Hearts in Tune, the answer is an unequivocal yes! What I loved about The Tattle Tales is that they were a pop-punk band that was first and foremost a great pop band. Christian is still making extraordinary music with The Feels.

5. The Sensibles - A Bunch of Animals  (2013) 
From Milano, Italy, The Sensibles were a super-underrated 2010s band that released some of the decade's finest pop-punk singles (which were compiled into last year's wonderful retrospective Dino Nuggets). They also released a fantastic album called A Bunch of Animals on Rijapov Records. I originally likened this album to a "giant, one-ounce straw of Pixy Stix chased with a double shot of Espresso," and I would still order that concoction today. This record is everything pop-punk ought to be: joyful and ultra-energetic, with songs that blend child-like innocence and full-grown tenderness. It remains a ten out of ten release in my book. 

4. The Unlovables - Crush*Boyfriend*Heartbreak (2005) 
While I've done my best to reign in my propensity for hyperbole in recent years, I cannot in good conscience call this album anything less than a classic. I will gladly die on that hill, and I bet King Ralph would too!

3. Spazzys - Aloha! Go Bananas (2004)

It is an established truth that "Paco Doesn't Love Me" is the greatest Ramones rip-off ever recorded. But seriously, this whole album is gold.

2. The Ergs! – dorkrockcorkrod (2004) 
When you say "2000s pop-punk," there's only one band whose name is coming up first in my mind.

1. The Kung Fu Monkeys - School's Out, Surf's Up, Let's Fall in Love (2000) 
One of the greatest musical albums ever made by humans.

Honorable Mentions 

The Steinways - Missed the Boat (2006) 
Geoff Palmer - Pulling Out All the Stops (2019) 
Neon Bone - That Dog Won't Hunt (2018) 
Spastic Hearts - No Girls No Fun (2014) 
Ruth's Hat - Bye Bye Love (2000) 

Now comes the difficult part: putting together my 20 century list! Stay tuned! 

-L.R.