Pop Punk Will Never Die
- kayleighgreig
- May 19
- 3 min read
Editorial Assistant Niamh McGonnell-Hall, our resident pop-punk maestro, takes us on a trip down emo lane, arguing in true emo fashion that pop-punk will never die.
Phoenix: a magical bird in ancient stories that lives for 500 years before it burns itself to death and then is born again from its ashes. [1]
The phoenix is the mythical creature of rebirth. Its red-orange plumage has graced our lives, screens, and pages for centuries. I was born in the same year as the release of Evening Out With Your Girlfriend and Take This to Your Grave by Fall Out Boy. These two albums marked the start of a band that would come to define me as a person. The first two albums would be swiftly followed by six more studio albums of pure 2000’s emo-kid ecstasy. From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity On High, Folie à Deux, Save Rock And Roll, American Beauty/American Psycho, MANIA and So Much (for) Stardust.
So, who is Fall Out Boy? If you don’t know, we probably can’t be friends. If you do know and you don’t like them, then we definitely can’t be friends. They are what is culturally considered part of the “Emo Trinity” or “Big Three” (or the “Big Four”/“Emo Quartet” depending on what pop-punk lore you adhere to). The “Big Three” (no, not androids, aliens, and wizards), consists of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco. Add in Twenty One Pilots to make up the “Big Four”. You put these bands' names into the search bar and you will find hundreds of cross-band mashups, memes and emo kid brain rot. We pop-punk fans are a different breed. Yes, we can be a little intense, but we’re just passionate about our music.
Now, what does this have to do with Phoenixes? It has everything to do with it. There is a saying “pop-punk will never die”. So, if you think about it, a phoenix is the perfect mascot. Not to mention, a flaming phoenix is about as pop-punk as it gets. This fiery bird is a symbol of rebirth, immortality, hope and liberation—a symbol of an everlasting rebellion. This is exactly what is captured in Fall Out Boy’s “The Phoenix” from their 2013 album, Save Rock and Roll. The song begins with a call to “put on your war paint,” with a thumping bass and a sense of rebellion that could be the score to a Dauntless Faction montage. This album also plays host to one of their most recognisable songs—“My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”. Again, cue the montage.
Now, I am no music critic, but I think I can say with confidence that we are living in an era of pop-punk resurgence. Whilst the older albums are still very dear to our hearts, we have been given even more songs to blast on repeat. From YUNGBLUD, mgk, to an MCR world tour and Fall Out Boy’s 2018 album MANIA, we have been blessed with a resurrection of pop-punk into mainstream music.
Currently, Fall Out Boy has over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify. [2] MCR, over 16 million [3] and Panic!, over 19 million monthly listeners. [4] Whilst we're on the topic of Panic!, their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out turns 20 this year! In 2019 it was also considered by the Rolling Stone as one of the “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time,” with James Montgomery stating that “it's difficult to argue that it's not a snapshot of where "emo" was at in 2005, right down to the sentence-long song titles.” [5] Of course, also gracing this list was My Chemical Romance’s 2004 album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, at #10 and Fall Out Boy’s 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree, at #9. [5] We don’t call them the “Emo Trinity” for nothing. That's an example of a very-much-alive pop-punk scene. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, pop-punk will truly never die. We may still be mourning the dispansion of Panic! At the Disco, but one thing is for sure, we will all be there when they burst into flames again.
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