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With comebacks by Blink-182, Green Day & Good Charlotte, 2016 is the year of the power chord.

While names like Drake, Rihanna, and even The Chainsmokers seem to be dominating 2016, there is something else worth noting about the musical trends of this year. It’s a bit surprising, but pop punk seems to be having something of a renaissance, thanks to a number of the biggest names the genre has ever seen returning all at once. 

Pop punk is nothing new, and in fact it’s been around for decades, but it only truly broke into the mainstream a few times in notable ways. Green Day helped usher in the style back in the ‘90s with their seminal album Dookie, and then a decade later, artists like Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Simple Plan and a whole host of others brought it back. Now, the genre has resurfaced, but interestingly enough, this time it’s thanks to those that already made it famous, more so than new talent.

Comebacks have been mounted by many of the genre’s titans, and despite the fact that some of them have been out of the spotlight for years, their returns have all been welcomed by legions of fans that have been waiting. In short, pop punk is cashing in on our nostalgia.

 

Blink-182 kicked it all off when they made headlines earlier this summer by debuting their first album in five years in the top spot on the Billboard 200. In claiming the No. 1 position, the pop-punk trio finally knocked Drake’s Views out of the penthouse after an incredible nine straight weeks, during which time not even the likes of current-day pop stars and top 40 radio favorites like Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor, or Fifth Harmony could topple him. 

MORE: Benji Madden Talks ‘Youth Authority,’ Madden Brothers & Good Charlotte’s Uncertain Future

Good Charlotte hopped on the bandwagon next with their sixth studio album, Youth Authority. The “Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous” rockers have been on hiatus since their fifth album Cardiology essentially tanked, but the time away apparently did them well. This latest effort performed better in the States than expected, and in other territories such as Australia, it topped the charts, surprising many in the process.

For the rest of the year, it would be smart to keep an eye out for Green Day, who just a week or so ago announced that they too had a fresh crop of new music to release, and thankfully, it sees the group returning to their controversial, middle-finger-raising roots. The pop-punk veterans have a new album expected in the fall, and it is preceded by “Bang Bang,” a single that makes America look at its own obsession not only with guns, but with mass shootings and violence in general. Leave it to Green Day to get political and still manage to create one hell of a catchy song, which few musicians can pull off.

Reunion tours have also been exceptionally popular so far in 2016, and it’s likely that many other acts will look to replicate recent successes in the coming year or two. Boys Like Girls, the pop punkers who charted hits like “The Great Escape” and “Hero/Heroine,” took to the road this year to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their self-titled major label debut, which turned them into stars.

The Used — a rock act that was a bit harder than some of the other bands mentioned here — but who still shared many of the same fans, is also touring on past albums as a way to say thank you to the fans that supported those records (and of course subsequent ones as well). The Used are playing two nights in every chosen city, with the first dedicated to their self-titled debut, and the following evening focusing on their sophomore record, In Love And Death. The first run of shows sold out immediately, and the band ended up adding an entire second leg to the trek of other cities, with a possible international extension being considered.

Pop punk has been making a somewhat subtle comeback for a while now, so it’s good to see those that helped bring the sound and the style to millions around reclaim their rightful spots on top. With groups like 5 Seconds To Summer hitting number one with every new album released, it was only a matter of time before those that came before, and even those that helped 5SOS get where they are today — many of their hits were written or co-written by the two brothers from Good Charlotte, by the way — wised up and realized that the world was ready for more. 

MORE: 5 Reasons Blink-182’s ‘California’ Benefited From Matt Skiba

If you’re a fan of pop punk, keep both your ears and eyes open, as there are sure to be plenty of beloved bands returning, while at the same time, brand new up-and-comers are also sure to take advantage of this newfound love of the genre to launch careers as well. For all we know, the next few years could end up being a fantastic third coming for pop punk, and wouldn’t that just be wonderful?

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