The punk pop craze continued to sweep across US shopping malls and MTV during the early twenty-first century, owing to the emergence of acts such as Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based Simple Plan. Following in the footsteps of fellow Canadians Sum 41, Si…

Coming out of the grass-roots Gilman St. punk scene of the early-1990s Bay Area, Green Day exploded into the mainstream with their third album, 1994's DOOKIE. The trio's punk energy and pop hooks, influenced by first-generation punks like the Buzzcoc…

Formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA, this pop punk quartet was formed in 1994, with its roots reaching back to a two-man music comedy team (vocalist/guitarist Jaret Reddick aka Jaret Von Erich and bass player Erik Chandler aka Erik Rodham Clinton), t…

California skate-punk trio Blink 182 employed a snappy mix of punk-pop and humor that appealed to a whole new generation of rock fans too young to have fully appreciated Green Day's initial impact. These third- (or fourth-) generation punks became th…

Starting out in the late 1990s, pop-punk band Yellowcard got together in Jacksonville, FL, but eventually migrated to California, where they built a grass-roots following through their indie releases. One thing in particular that set Yellowcard apart…

The four neo-punk/pop upstarts from Toronto who make up Sum 41 formed the band while they were all still in high school, and the youthful exuberance of those days can still be strongly felt in their 2000 debut EP HALF HOUR OF POWER. The endearingly b…

The roots of Los Angeles band Maroon 5 lay in the late-1990s Weezer-influenced alt-rock outfit Kara's Flowers. After that group disbanded, the members eventually started a new band (along with a second guitarist). Rechristening themselves Maroon 5, t…

Turning the music world on its head, Eminem, the blond-haired rapper from Detroit, forced the hip-hop world to accept him as an equal. Despite lyrics full of anger, misogyny, violence, racism, and homophobia, Eminem has been a major commercial succes…

The mercurial term "emo" has meant many different things since its first appearance in the mid-1980s hardcore punk underground. By the mid 2000s, the term was best exemplified by the band Fall Out Boy. Playing an accessible brand of melodic rock mark…

Out of the backwaters of Oklahoma rose the power-pop clatter of the All-American Rejects, whose 2002 self-titled debut album, released on the indie Doghouse Records, yielded a huge fan base and the attention of several major labels. In a field crowde…

Though the band's detractors consider them derivative at best and a direct knock-off of fellow agro-rockers Incubus at worst, Hoobastank's many fans couldn't disagree more. The California-based trio has built an impressive following and an equally im…

Originating from San Diego, California, USA, and formed during the mid-90s, this Christian rock band was the brainchild of brothers Jonathan Foreman (vocals/guitar) and Tim Foreman (bass/vocals). Like many San Diego teenagers, the Foremans were avid …

This pop punk band was formed in Coral Springs, Florida, USA in 1997 by Jordan Pundik (b. 12 October 1979, New Jersey, USA; vocals), Chad Gilbert (b. 9 March 1981, Coral Springs, Florida, USA; guitar), Steve Klein (guitar), Ian Grushka (b. 4 Septembe…

In 2002 one of the biggest stories in the music business was the ascendance of 17-year old Canadian singer Avril LaVigne. In an era dominated by pre-fabricated teen-pop, Avril was seen as a teen star with an edge. Instead of carefully crafted, studio…

The Los Angeles-based hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas has made a name for itself by taking an eclectic and organic approach to rap, R&B, and funk. Led by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Will.I.Am., the band also includes two other MCs, Apl.de.Ap. and Ta…

These Vacaville, CA boys first got together in high school, influenced by the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More, they constructed their own rap-metal hybrid. Papa Roach was no overnight success; they toured relentlessly, building up…

Generally, the punk-inspired generation of bands that came to prominence in the late '90s fell into two camps; cred-soaked aesthetes in thrall to the art-punk approach of emo godfathers Fugazi and radio-friendly pop-punks following in the footsteps o…

With the assistance of its contemporaries Creed and Godsmack, 3 Doors Down helped keep the grunge flag flying in the mid-1990s in the wake of the demise of genre founders like Nirvana and Soundgarden. Combining the mammoth, sludgy riffs of the aforem…

As the very first winner of the AMERICAN IDOL television show competition, Kelly Clarkson was inevitably pegged as little more than a manufactured pop commodity. The surprisingly versatile singer managed to survive against expectations, however, and …