Did Green Day's "American Idiot" "kill" pop punk? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 06-14-2015, 03:05 AM

Pop punk (depending on your own personal description of the term "pop punk") got really big in 1999-2000 when Blink 182's Enema of the State hit big, and alongside nu-metal, was pretty much one of the more popular styles in the early 2000s. Then American Idiot came out, and all of a sudden, stuff like Good Charlotte started becoming irrelevant as opposed to the "deeper" (or at least "deep" for Green Day, where people wanted to commend it for being an ambitious outing rather than the actual quality of the music itself) American Idiot. All of a sudden, Green Day was the virtually only pop punk band around who were still popular, and by that point, they weren't just pop punk anymore.

Then again, but pop punk will always have its own niche (since trends and tastes in rock change rather quickly) that just penetrates crossover pop status more than most. You can argue that the bands of 1994-'95 were just as surprisingly big as the ones of 1999-2000. By 2004 however, we were already about two-three years into the rise of the garage rock sound, with emo gaining a strong foothold.

ABlairican Pie · 06-15-2015, 06:05 PM

Interesting how when a band makes a "serious" statement, then they somehow become "relevant" and their music is somehow validated. Kind of like a "Sgt Pepper" moment.

Strange, I hadn't noticed the demise of pop punk until you brought this up!

Mace Dolex · 06-15-2015, 06:18 PM

Billy Idol and The Cure to me was what I considered pop punk, Green Day to me sounded like alternative college rock garbage.

ABlairican Pie · 06-15-2015, 08:54 PM

It's interesting, when Nirvana started putting a pop spin on their version of "punk", then the industry started signing up all these "official" pop punk bands such as The Offspring, Green Day, and eventually Blink 182.

But when you really think about it, punk was pop in the mid-late 70's because it was trying to return rock and roll back to the basic fun, to-the-point
ethic of original rock of the 50's and early-mid 60's, because in the middle of the 70's, rock and roll was a little too safe and corporate, and over-bloated for some with self-indulgent prog rock, some believed. The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, and other bands such as Generation X (which was fronted by Billy Idol) were trying to bring back a little "danger" to rock and roll.

MrCleveland · 06-15-2015, 10:06 PM

In A Way...Especially What Johnny Rotten Thinks About Green Day!...

Warning...Bad Language!

Besides...Johnny "Rotten" Lydon had more strength than Green Day!...

UMFaninMD · 06-15-2015, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mace Dolex

Billy Idol and The Cure to me was what I considered pop punk, Green Day to me sounded like alternative college rock garbage.

Billy Idol was straight up pop-punk. His songs still had that edge, but they were "safe enough" for most of us kids back in the 80's listen to without parents getting up in arms. It's funny to see how White Wedding and Mony Mony morphed into wedding reception songs; both were played at my brother's wedding in 1999.

Race's Girl · 06-16-2015, 06:31 AM

How can you say that?

ABlairican Pie · 06-16-2015, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UMFaninMD

Billy Idol was straight up pop-punk. His songs still had that edge, but they were "safe enough" for most of us kids back in the 80's listen to without parents getting up in arms. It's funny to see how White Wedding and Mony Mony morphed into wedding reception songs; both were played at my brother's wedding in 1999.

Of course, "Mony Mony" is a cover of a song by Tommy James & the Shondells.

Hmm, "White Wedding" might have a few unwanted connotations, but it was a big song, so it was okay.

ABlairican Pie · 06-16-2015, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

In A Way...Especially What Johnny Rotten Thinks About Green Day!...

Warning...Bad Language!

Besides...Johnny "Rotten" Lydon had more strength than Green Day!...

At least SOMEONE'S got it right! In thirty seconds, John(ny Rotten)/Lydon hit the nail on the head!

A band can't be TOO punk if their biggest hit is practically a 90's version of "Dust In the Wind" by Kansas.

ABlairican Pie · 06-17-2015, 07:01 PM

Johnny (Rotten) Lydon has a straight-on point about Green Day's "punk". It's like in the 80's when all things Bon Jovi-related was somehow "metal". When the fringe became the norm, that meant something was going wrong with the scene. When everyone and their mother's dog started listening to it, it was no longer the province of the denim and leather hellions who were there from the very beginning (yeah, had to throw in a Saxon reference). It became acceptable because it was all about hair and fashion, and the "right" amount of power chords and marketable MTV "attitude".

So stepping away from that, by the mid-90's, when grunge and alternative softened into more pop elements, bands like Green Day who fit the "genre" in a lowest-common-denominator sense (we've got spiky hair, we're all fast sounding and seem snotty enough), then they became the big deal when their Seattle brethren such as Nirvana imploded after abandoning all heaviness and being all nice pop. Billy Joe and Co. were there to "fill the void"
with their family-friendly tunes (okay, "Longview" not so much).

ABlairican Pie · 06-17-2015, 07:03 PM

Okay, so would pop-punk fans buy the Sex Pistols and others from back in the 70's?

06-14-2015, 03:05 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,642	Did Green Day's "American Idiot" "kill" pop punk? Pop punk (depending on your own personal description of the term "pop punk") got really big in 1999-2000 when Blink 182's Enema of the State hit big, and alongside nu-metal, was pretty much one of the more popular styles in the early 2000s. Then American Idiot came out, and all of a sudden, stuff like Good Charlotte started becoming irrelevant as opposed to the "deeper" (or at least "deep" for Green Day, where people wanted to commend it for being an ambitious outing rather than the actual quality of the music itself) American Idiot. All of a sudden, Green Day was the virtually only pop punk band around who were still popular, and by that point, they weren't just pop punk anymore. Then again, but pop punk will always have its own niche (since trends and tastes in rock change rather quickly) that just penetrates crossover pop status more than most. You can argue that the bands of 1994-'95 were just as surprisingly big as the ones of 1999-2000. By 2004 however, we were already about two-three years into the rise of the garage rock sound, with emo gaining a strong foothold.

06-15-2015, 06:05 PM	#2
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	Interesting how when a band makes a "serious" statement, then they somehow become "relevant" and their music is somehow validated. Kind of like a "Sgt Pepper" moment. Strange, I hadn't noticed the demise of pop punk until you brought this up!
	__________________ Release the kitties. --Nathan Explosion

06-15-2015, 10:06 PM	#5
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	In A Way...Especially What Johnny Rotten Thinks About Green Day!... Warning...Bad Language! Besides...Johnny "Rotten" Lydon had more strength than Green Day!...
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

06-16-2015, 06:31 AM	#7
Race's Girl Miss Tremendous Forum Celebrity Join Date: Jan 26, 2005 Location: On Fonzie's bike in front of Arnold's Posts: 23,270	How can you say that?
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06-15-2015, 06:18 PM	#3
Mace Dolex Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 12, 2013 Posts: 2,668	Billy Idol and The Cure to me was what I considered pop punk, Green Day to me sounded like alternative college rock garbage.

06-15-2015, 08:54 PM	#4
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	It's interesting, when Nirvana started putting a pop spin on their version of "punk", then the industry started signing up all these "official" pop punk bands such as The Offspring, Green Day, and eventually Blink 182. But when you really think about it, punk was pop in the mid-late 70's because it was trying to return rock and roll back to the basic fun, to-the-point ethic of original rock of the 50's and early-mid 60's, because in the middle of the 70's, rock and roll was a little too safe and corporate, and over-bloated for some with self-indulgent prog rock, some believed. The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, and other bands such as Generation X (which was fronted by Billy Idol) were trying to bring back a little "danger" to rock and roll.

06-17-2015, 07:01 PM	#10
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	Johnny (Rotten) Lydon has a straight-on point about Green Day's "punk". It's like in the 80's when all things Bon Jovi-related was somehow "metal". When the fringe became the norm, that meant something was going wrong with the scene. When everyone and their mother's dog started listening to it, it was no longer the province of the denim and leather hellions who were there from the very beginning (yeah, had to throw in a Saxon reference). It became acceptable because it was all about hair and fashion, and the "right" amount of power chords and marketable MTV "attitude". So stepping away from that, by the mid-90's, when grunge and alternative softened into more pop elements, bands like Green Day who fit the "genre" in a lowest-common-denominator sense (we've got spiky hair, we're all fast sounding and seem snotty enough), then they became the big deal when their Seattle brethren such as Nirvana imploded after abandoning all heaviness and being all nice pop. Billy Joe and Co. were there to "fill the void" with their family-friendly tunes (okay, "Longview" not so much).

06-17-2015, 07:03 PM	#11
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	Okay, so would pop-punk fans buy the Sex Pistols and others from back in the 70's?