First things first: you’re going to get out of your hometown. The world of pop-punk music is such a funny genre to try and tackle. It is probably my favorite genre of music, and when you sit down and actually listen to it and read along with the lyrics, it’s crazy how so much coincides.

It’s not that all the music is exactly the same. I could argue whole-heartedly that every single band in the genre has their own sound and quality that makes them them. However, it is extremely simple to try and put that pen to paper and chalk up your own pop-punk song.  All you need is some life experiences. Literally. All these musicians write from the heart. Their song lyrics are usually based on their own lives or something that they know. It’s easy to write about your own experiences. You can write about that girl you’ve been in love with since high school, but she was the one that got away. You can also write about walking on the beach in the summer with your friends, or how much you want and need to get out of your hometown. There’s also the aspect of sadness. One band’s entire message is that you won’t be pathetic forever. You’ll get out of that funk, stop being sad, and be able to move on. And probably have a slice of pizza or something.

The fun part about this genre of music is the relatability. One of the greatest talents these artists have is the ability to make their music relate to their audience. There are songs for any type of mood. If you need a song about the girl you miss, or the town you hate, or the friends you love, or anything like that, there is most definitely a song for you, especially in the five examples I’ve chosen to focus on to relate back to the genre as a whole.

All five songs have different types of imagery. “All My Friends Are in Bar Bands” gives us the hope that everything will be okay in the end. “World Favorite” is the fantasy over the girl that you have been in love with your entire life. “All Signs Point to Lauderdale” tells us not to listen to anyone, and just get the hell out of the town you live in. “Skin Deep” is more aggressive. It gives us the sadder side of things where the girl leaves you and you’re just left with your sadness and music. “Pop-Punk Pizza Party” is the epitome of every single pop-punk song mashed up into one. We imagine walking on the beach in the summer with our friends, getting out of our town, driving with the hood down and eating pizza, it’s got it all. In a way, “Pop-Punk Pizza Party” is actually a parody, which is convenient because that was part of the inspiration for this project we are doing. A couple of dudes started their own pop-punk band, and their first hit song was an exact replica of everything you need in a song of this genre. It may be a bit of a parody, but it also holds its own ground as just a typical summer anthem.

Pop-punk is a very interesting genre to explore. As a fan of this type of music, this project is extremely fun for me. I know a lot about the genre, and it’s exciting to dig deeper into the meaning and explore the connections between all of these songs that basically follow the same format, yet have their own special spark. Part of what made the Kerry Dirk article so helpful was the use of examples in country music. It’s like how she says that you need to at least know a little background about country music to understand jokes or what they talk about in their songs (Dirk 249). The same goes here with pop-punk. You need to understand the importance of best friends, riding with the windows down screaming your favorite songs. You need to understand the jokes behind wanting to get out of your hometown and your parents never understanding who you really want to be. Dirk goes on to talk about how when she was writing that paper, she had an idea beforehand of what she wanted to say, and then when she went to write, had to think about it for a bit to actually be able to explain what she wanted on paper (Dirk 251). That’s how talking about pop-punk music lyrics was to me. I have an extended background of the genre already because it is my favorite type of music to listen to. I’ve been to an endless amount of concerts, have met bands, and even have tried making music myself. It’s become such a part of me that the love I have for the music made this project even more exciting. When first sitting down, I knew right away that I wanted to make fun of the genre, because frankly, it is just too simple. A lot of people dislike the genre, so going over to that side and bashing it just a little bit was funny in a way. I was able to sort out everything I wanted to say, pick five of the most typical songs in the genre, and dive head first into making fun of them.

The genre is able to talk about loads of different subjects. The genre does a real good job with trying to connect with its main audience. The artists talk of the girl you fell in love with but never had the guts to tell her that all you want to do is hang in on a rainy day and watch Netflix. They tell us that it’s all going to be okay in the end. If you’re sad now, you won’t always be. They tell us not to care what others think and to only make room for the people who really matter to us. They tell us to have a pizza, and that one day we will all get out of our God-forsaken hometown. I don’t know why these are usually always the topics of the lyrics, but these are all subjects that teens and young adults can connect with on a level that is sometimes impossible elsewhere.

Typically the members of the band are the ones that write for the pop-punk genre. I can see it now. All the members of the band are all gathered together in their tiny tour bus, sweating like pigs and eating pizza. All of a sudden, one of the members comes up with this awesome lyric or line that they feel could be useful in a song. They grab a pen and a dirty napkin and write down what’s in their head before they forget. This is the initial spark that could generate something that will connect with thousands of people all over the world. The song is eventually, somewhere down the recording process line, created and sent out to the world for all to hear. With the song come the lyrics. There are tons of lyric websites all over the Internet. When you want to follow along with the song, you can pull it up on a website and read along with it. That leads us, the fans and music-goers, the ones reading the genre. You can also read the lyrics in a different place. On the inside booklet that comes with the hard CD of the musical album, the lyrics are printed. Usually in different styles depending on the artist, but almost all come with a booklet with the lyrics inside. Which give us, the reader, an easier opportunity to read.

The main purpose to the genre of pop-punk music is for the artists to be able to create something that we can all connect to. One of the greatest aspects of the genre is the beautiful lyrics that these artists write (Usually. Some can be pretty graphic). They make you feel something. This genre has become one of my favorites to listen to and it’s because of the heart that all these artists put into their music, specifically their lyrics. It’s really hard these days to find a good, meaningful song on the radio. This other genre of music doesn’t rely on air time, but instead on their dedicate fan bases that will always come around for them when they are creating something new and exciting.

All in all, the pop-punk music genre was a really fun one to tackle. With my extensive knowledge on the genre already and my love for the music itself, this project was exciting to complete. Being able to talk and make fun of something that I actually do enjoy very, very much made for an interesting piece of writing. It was like finding a new voice and just going with it, or finding new imagery to a subject I thought I already knew everything about. With that being said, I feel extremely worthy for at least one slice of pizza.