What are the best 2000s pop-punk songs? It’s a loaded question with hundreds of answers. Throughout the decade, pop punk dominated the culture, achieving its mainstream explosion. blink-182, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy took turns rotating on TRL. Movies adopted the genre’s snotty style into their soundtracks (think American Pie and “Scotty Doesn’t Know” from EuroTrip). Vans Warped Tour felt like the most massive event of the summer. All the while, the music was catchy, rebellious, and angsty enough to captivate a willing ear, filling the gap between punk bite and pop hooks to turn it into a soundtrack for a generation. Even today, there are flashes of that culture returning, from festivals like When We Were Young and a revived Warped Tour to a new generation of bands paying tribute to their elders while giving the genre a fresh update.
Read more: 10 criminally underrated blink-182 songs
With the topic on our minds, we decided to indulge our nostalgia and ask our readers to name the best 2000s pop-punk songs. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
5. Good Charlotte – “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”
Good Charlotte’s “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” felt totally inescapable during the 2000s, whether it was featured on MTV, soundtracking movies, or blasting at the mall. Kicking off their Young and the Hopeless era as its lead single, “Lifestyles” pointed to an entirely new era of GC. Eric Valentine’s production made them sound massive, turning “Lifestyles,” along with the rest of the songs on the album, into glossy, stadium-sized anthems that were built to last. And remember what we said about pop punk’s influence within film? If you pay attention, you can spot Good Charlotte as the prom band in Not Another Teen Movie.
4. Paramore – “That’s What You Get”
Paramore helped to define 2000s pop punk with their mall-punk bangers, never afraid to let out what was on their minds. Though the scene wasn’t without misogyny, their influence is everywhere, seen in new-gen artists like PinkPantheress and Olivia Rodrigo. Nostalgia-bent fans will point to Riot! as their best album, considered as their commercial and international breakthrough. Characteristic of the era, Riot! gave us a load of anthems that showcased their enhanced songwriting, including “That’s What You Get.” Through tension and release, Paramore lead us through an introspective breakup song that’s impossible not to sing along to. Complete with a soaring chorus, “That’s What You Get” is a pop-punk benchmark.
3. Sum 41 – “In Too Deep”
Maybe you’re surprised that our readers didn’t land on “Fat Lip” instead. Either way, both songs are infectious skate-punk anthems that owe an impossible debt to blink-182, Green Day, and Beastie Boys. Coming off their debut, All Killer No Filler, “In Too Deep” is a hefty dose of nostalgia, conjuring the days of scuffed iPods, DC Shoes, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Sum 41’s ability to bottle a massive chorus, bouncy guitar riffs, and youthful rebellion made them perfect for MTV. Its memorable video — a pool-diving competition where the band, miraculously, defeat seasoned pros — was the cherry on top. Even though they’re no longer together, it’s no wonder their legacy endures.
2. All Time Low – “Dear Maria, Count Me In”
Taking their name from a New Found Glory song, All Time Low were bound to make this list. Although they’ve put out plenty of catchy songs over the years, “Dear Maria, Count Me In” is probably their most immortal pop-punk jam, recognizable from the first second that Alex Gaskarth coughs into the mic. “Having done a hundred takes because I was not a good singer at the time, I was probably blowing my voice out, and it was just a necessity to get the next take out sounding smooth,” he said in an interview. Nearly two decades later, it continues to resonate, going viral on TikTok and kickstarting an “it’s not a phase” trend on the app, where people shared videos of themselves belting out the All Time Low song.
1. Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue”
To our readers, no song better embodies 2000s pop punk like Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue.” After years apart, the band reunited to celebrate Ocean Avenue’s 20th anniversary in 2023, heading out on a global tour to support their milestone album. It was on that run where the seed of new music was planted, though it took years to come to fruition. Though their upcoming album, Better Days, made with pop-punk heavyweight Travis Barker, features a different style than their 2000s heyday, it’s hard not to see how the success and legacy of “Ocean Avenue” guided them to this point.