Special: Top 100 Pop Punk Albums Of All Time Re-Ranked!

Hello fine readers. Today I'm re-ranking the Rock Sound list of 100 best Pop Punk Albums as voted by their readers (find that list HERE). I'm solely going based off my opinion of how much I enjoy the albums so I don't want to hear no "Album X wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Album Y!" So anyways on with the list and I've included their Rock Sound ranking as well so you can see how close I am to the popular opinion.

100. The Academy Is... - Almost Here (RS: 48)
99. This Time Next Year - Road Maps And Heart Attacks (RS: 80)
98. Crucial Dudes - 61 Penn (RS: 92)
97. The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About (RS: 72)
96. The Academy Is... Fast Times At Barrington High (RS: 81)
95. Trash Boat - Nothing I Write You Can Change What You've Been Through (RS: 70)
94. The Dangerous Summer - Reach For The Sun (RS: 94)
93. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory (RS: 75)
92. WSTR - Red, Green Or Inbetween (RS: 69)

91. Green Day - Kerplunk (RS: 39)
90. Major League - Hard Feelings (RS: 100)
89. Me Vs. Hero - Days That Shape Our Lives (RS: 99)
88. NoFX - Punk In Drublic (RS: 33)
87. Hey Monday - Hold On Tight (RS: 82)
86. Roam - Backbone (RS: 84)
85. Neck Deep - Wishful Thinking (RS: 52)
84. Jimmy Eat World - Futures (RS: 86)
83. Like Pacific - In Spite Of Me (RS: 98)
82. Save Your Breath - Vices (RS: 79)
81. Blink-182 - Dude Ranch (RS: 25)
80. Good Charlotte - The Chronicles Of Life And Death (RS: 56)
79. Boston Manor - Be Nothing (RS: 61)
78. Sum 41 - Underclass Hero (RS: 78)
77. We Are The In Crowd - Weird Kids (RS: 63)

76. Say Anything - ...Is A Real Boy (RS: 49)
75. Mayday Parade - Sunnyland (RS: 24)
74. You Me At Six - Take Off Your Colours (RS: 46)
73. The Offspring - Americana (RS: 51)
72. The All-American Rejects - Self-Titled (RS: 83)
71. Bowling For Soup - Drunk Enough To Dance (RS: 23)
70. Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing (RS: 74)
69. All Time Low - So Wrong It's Right (RS: 20)
68. Roam - Great Heights And Nosedives (RS: 50)
67. Fireworks - Gospel (RS: 87)

66. Sleep On It - Overexposed (RS: 40)
65. As It Is - Okay (RS: 13)
64. Mayday Parade - Self-Titled (RS: 53)
63. The Offspring - Smash (RS: 43)
62. Like Pacific - Distant Like You Asked (RS: 91)
61. The Story So Far - Self-Titled (RS: 71)
60. Four Year Strong - Rise Or Die Trying (RS: 60)
59. The Movielife - 40 Hour Train Back To Penn (RS: 97)
58. Knuckle Puck - Shapeshifter (RS: 57)
57. Sum 41 - Does This Look Infected? (RS: 41)
56. Blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (RS: 7)
55. Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now (RS: 85)

54. Man Overboard - Real Talk (RS: 90)
53. New Found Glory - Catalyst (RS: 59)
52. State Champs - Living Proof (RS: 28)
51. Paramore - All We Know Is Falling (RS: 93)
50. A Day To Remember - For Those Who Have Heart (RS: 36)
49. Seaway - Vacation (RS: 30)
48. The All-American Rejects - Move Along (RS: 67)
47. Transit - Listen & Forgive (RS: 76)
46. Real Friends - The Home Inside My Head (RS: 55)
45. Simple Plan - Still Not Getting Any (RS: 68)
44. The Story So Far - What You Don't See (RS: 47)
43. A Loss For Words - No Sanctuary (RS: 62)

42. Knuckle Puck - Copacetic (RS: 26)
41. Mayday Parade - Anywhere But Here (RS: 58)
40. Waterparks - Double Dare (RS: 12)
39. The Maine - Can't Stop, Won't Stop (RS: 66)
38. All Time Low - Don't Panic (RS: 17)
37. With Confidence - Better Weather (RS: 37)
36. The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation (RS: 22)
35. Grayscale - Adornment (RS: 10)
34. Sum 41 - All Killer, No Filler (RS: 34)
33. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (RS: 38)
32. Good Charlotte - Self-Titled (RS: 16)
31. Neck Deep - The Peace And The Panic (RS: 19)

30. State Champs - Around The World And Back (RS: 8)
29. As It Is - Never Happy, Ever After (RS: 32)
28. Green Day - Dookie (RS: 2)
27. Seaway - Colour Blind (RS: 54)
26. Fall Out Boy - From Under The Cork Tree (RS: 3)
25. All Time Low - Nothing Personal (RS: 6)
24. Blink-182 - Enema Of The State (RS: 1)
23. Hit The Lights - This Is A Stick Up... Don't Make It Murder (RS: 95)
22. The Wonder Years - The Upsides (RS: 70)
21. Four Year Strong - Enemy Of The World (RS: 89)
20. Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls (RS: 31)

19. Man Overboard - Self-Titled (RS: 96)
18. New Found Glory - Sticks & Stones (RS: 29)
17. The Story So Far - Under Soil And Dirt (RS: 35)
16. Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us (RS: 73)
15. Mayday Parade - A Lesson In Romantics (RS: 9)
14. Paramore - Riot! (RS: 14)
13. Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends (RS: 45)
12. Cartel - Chroma (RS: 88)
11. Green Day - American Idiot (RS: 11)
10. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria (RS: 77)
9. Good Charlotte - The Young And The Hopeless (RS: 5)
8. A Day To Remember - Homesick (RS: 21)

7. Neck Deep - Life's Not Out To Get You (RS: 4)
6. State Champs - The Finer Things (RS: 27)
5. Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave (RS: 18)
4. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue (RS: 15)
3. The Wonder Years - Suburbia, I've Given You All And Now I Am Nothing (RS: 44)
2. The Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It (RS: 64)
1. New Found Glory - Self-Titled (RS: 42)

Special: Top 10 Summer Pop-Punk Albums

I'm not going to kid you all... Summer is just about over so we only have a couple weeks left to drive around windows down cranking out our favourite summer albums and for me summer means pop-punk all day, so here's my top 10 summer albums...

10. Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave

Every single one of us one has had one of "those" relationships. The kind where it doesn't end in heartfelt goodbyes, but rather vindictive emotions and thoughts revolving around the question of whether you could get away with strangling the person in question. It's inevitably going to happen at some point in your life. So when the delightful vocals of Patrick Stump begin Take This To Your Grave with "Light that smoke/ Yeah one for giving up on me/ And one just cause they'll kill you sooner than my expectations." It's known that at one point in your life, you'll relate to this record in some fashion. How good is it? Regardless if it’s just another pop record, it’s an incredible one. Everything is done perfectly on this record, from the right amount to production to the balance of hard hitting instruments and pop goodness. Sure, the lyrics are practically quotes from a brokenhearted boy’s diary, but they’re undoubtedly all things we’ve related to at one point and another; Pete Wentz is similar to Max Bemis in the way that he lets the listener know exactly how it is.

9. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria

For a brief time back in 2003, The Ataris were huge. Their bouncy cover of Don Henley’s ‘The Boys of Summer’ was being delivered to the masses through radio stations across the country. It was the biggest hit the band had ever seen. The unbelievably catchy ‘In This Diary’ received some airplay as well, but not nearly as much as it should have. It’s obvious So Long Astoria isn’t just your average pop punk outing. Even though many songs are optimistic and full of energy, others prove to be rather poignant. Unfortunately there is some filler, but the album's sincerity makes up for it. Without a doubt, it’s the band’s catchiest and most personal record. Anybody looking to revisit their past can do so with So Long, Astoria. It’s an album that proves that being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up.

8. July - What We Signed Up For

If you’re looking for something new to the pop-punk world, this one is for you. The record will surely appeal to fans of acts like All Time Low and We Are The in Crowd. Upbeat guitars and pace-quickening drums fire off the title track before the bass kicks in with Devin Moody’s vocals. Immediately once the chorus hits, you know you’re in for a catchy ride with this record. “West Coast Pimpin’” begins rather somberly with the line “I’m afraid that I’ve become / Something less than what I was searching for.” Unexpectedly and in no time at all, a breezy synth pops in and your foot gets tapping along as the song now carries a hopeful feel while Moody sings, “I’m searching for something.” What We Signed Up For isn’t anything groundbreaking, it’s an incredibly great listen if you’re looking for some pop-punk to play in the sun.

7. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue

Very few pop-punk albums have the ability to evoke a tangible emotional response. They typically thrive on speedy tempos, loud guitars, and catchy hooks to rope the listener in to a journey of lyrical clichés and rehashed musical ideas. That is why, from the moment I first heard Ocean Avenue, I was blown away. Yellowcard is not a band that will experiment on new frontiers, nor will they impress with complicated solos. They are actually as close to average as a band can come in terms of their raw ability, but that is also, to an extent, what makes Ocean Avenue so special. The album is a heartbreaking tale, told by average people for average people. It is depressed when you are depressed, it whines when you whine, and it becomes self-assured and confident when you realize that, just as you suspected in the beginning, everything will turn out alright.

6. City Lights - In It To Win It

City Lights produces a sound that reminds me of A Day To Remember’s pop-punk side, but also inhabits an easycore vibe with loud guitars, profuse breakdowns, and vocals reminiscent of Jeremy McKinnon. Homesick being one of my favorite records of all time, I heard vast similarities in the overall mood and tempo of the music. And if there was any way to wrap up adolescence into an album, then City Lights’ cleverly named debut, In It To Win It, does just that. Starting off with a baseball being hit with a bat and a crowd cheering, I could already feel the vibes of summer. It reminded me of the years of lore that I spent playing baseball as a child. As soon as October rolls around I won't be able to wait until next summer when I can once again blast this in the car driving around with the windows down and getting sun drenched.

5. All Time Low - Nothing Personal

When I blast Nothing Personal in my car and roll down the windows, I can’t help but think of the summer of 2002. It has what anyone wants in their pop-punk/rock – huge hooks, honest (if not cheesy) lyrics, and a fun attitude. All Time Low isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, so if you were a fan of their 2007 album, So Wrong, It’s Right, then you will have no troubles enjoying this, as Nothing Personal is a step-up. Opener “Weightless” packs a Tyson-sized punch, as the chorus soars behind Alex Gaskarth’s voice. Other pop-punk wish they could write hooks like the one on “Weightless,” and, as good as this hook is, it’s not the best one on this album. That would belong to the Butch Walker-produced single “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t).” The song has Walker’s fingerprints all over it, as it is nearly impossible to get “oh-oh-oh/how was I supposed to know?” out of your head. As for me, I’m gonna put on an Atticus shirt and some Dickies and relive 2002.

4. New Found Glory - Self-Titled

What better way to relive 2002 then listening to some NFG? If there’s one band in the world of pop punk that absolutely shreds, it would have to be New Found Glory. For over fifteen years the Florida based act have been pumping out solid releases, New Found Glory are never better than when they’re firing on all cylinders and none of their albums are quite as lively as their self titled album. It’s an energetic pop punk album that takes hold of the listener and refuses to let go. The album really is relentless in the way it doesn’t let up on the energy levels. It’s one of the best pop punk albums of all time that I’d openly recommend to anybody, whether they’re a fan of the genre or not.

3. The Summer Set - Legendary

From opener Maybe Tonight, which is full of gripping hooks, gang vocals and a steady beat and possibly (lyrically anyways) the best song The Summer Set ever wrote, to the carnival-like Rescue; Legendary follows in the same party vibe that fans fell for on their first record. Lightning In A Bottle is the quintessential TSS song and is primed to get huge. Overall, Legendary is a re-introduction to the good ole party album, something that we have come to love about The Summer Set. So whether you’re keen on the pop-rock genre or not, like the second track on the album, Jukebox (Life Goes On), I suggest you put a quarter in the jukebox and sing along because as Barney Stinson would say, this album is legen… wait for it… dary.

2. Hit The Lights - Skip School, Start Fights

Skip School, Start Fights is so sweet that I may now need a dentist, but that’s a great feeling to have. I have spent every day of my life since I first hear Enema of The State listening and praising pop punk and their are few albums that hit the way this does. these guys have been around before All Time Low and yet are still working their way up, which is beyond wrong in my mind. They've had their share of problems, from losing a lead singer, to tour troubles, and every little thing in between, but they are able to sum it up and get it out of the way on, “Count It,” This simple introduction is started with beautiful piano and then met with a call to arms of sorts accompanying the piano with perfectly produced drums and great vocal harmonies. This is Hit The Lights telling the listener that they aren’t going anywhere and that what we’re about to hear is there statement of relevance.

1. The Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It

Say it Like You Mean It kicked off soon after it’s 2002 released and established The Starting Line as a pop punk staple. Listeners couldn’t get over the catchy hooks, the relatable lyrics, and addicting melodies. Each track was like a story, with it’s own unfinished ending where the fans can fill in the blanks. At the time, the pop punk community needed music like this to solidify their feelings; to let them though that someone was there that understands. The pop punk/emo movement saw a lot of that at the time but the Starting Line was one of the few bands to break away from the typical mold and successfully experiment without losing the interest of their fans. Every track on this album screams summer which makes it my number 1 summer album.