Pop/Punk Ideology

Pop punk is generally described as a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. However more recently it had become much more of it's own genre due to the specific traits that are used by pretty much every Pop/Punk band; typically merging

pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and louder guitars & percussion.

In the mid-1990s, the California pop punk bands Green Day and The Offspring, who were later followed by Blink-182, would all achieve

worldwide commercial success. From the mid-1990s onwards, some bands associated with the genre have been described as "happy punk", "Skate-rock", "faux-punk", "mall punk", "pseudo-punk" or even "bubblegum punk". In the United States the genre underwent a resurgence in the early- to mid-1990s. Many pop punk bands retained a 'do it yourself' approach to their music, and a number of independent record labels emerged during that period; often run by band members who wanted to release their own music and that of their friends. The independent labels SST/Cruz Records, Lookout! Records, Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph Records were about to achieve mainstream success.

February 1994 was when Pop/Punk really started to gain commercial success. It was at this time that Green Day released Dookie. The first single, "Longview", instantly became a hit on MTV and modern rock stations across America and the United Kingdom. Following the success of their first single, Green Day released "Basket Case", which became an even bigger hit. Dookie sold over 10 million copies in the United States and over 20 million copies worldwide. They then went on to win a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. Soon after the release of Dookie, The Offspring released the album Smash on the independent label Epitaph

Records. The first single, "Come Out and Play", had a pop punk sound that differed from their earlier work, and it became popular first on radio and later on MTV. Other singles, "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away", sold well. The album sold over 14 million copies worldwide, setting a record for most albums sold on an independent label.

In 1999, Blink-182 released Enema of the State,

which sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The album had three hit singles, including the #1 single "All the Small Things" and the #2 singles "What's My Age Again?" and "Adam's Song". It was from this time onwards that Pop/Punk became an extremely popular style. Teenagers across the globe started forming bands simply so they could be a part of the genre.

Between the late 90's and now Pop/Punk has faded in and out of popularity; many Pop/Punk fans followed the same bands they did when they were younger, therefore it has become march harder for new bands in this genre to get recognized.

I have chosen to base my magazine on Pop/Punk purely because it was the genre of music that I grew up listening to, blink-182 have been my favourite band since a very young age and the genre has almost seemed to mature with me. I am also in an unsigned Pop/Punk band called 'The Umbrella Academy', so as you can see my entire musical interest pretty much revolves around the genre.

Visual Representation: Loud, colourful, fun, busy & 'In your face'.

Audience Pleasures: Gigs, parties, skating, generally any times peoplefind fun! (It's a personal thing)