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About Us

What does Pop Punk Radio do?


Pop Punk Radio aims to re-define the outlook of what pop punk is and can be.
 
We don't view "pop-punk" as a pigeonhole specific genre. We view pop punk as the blending of pop music and punk rock styles or influences. In that regard, it can be a wideley encompassing term that includes offshoots such as emo, melodic hardcore, skate punk, cow punk, and more. We aim at breaking stereotypes and perceived limitations of the genre.

Some 90's kids grew up in an era when "pop punk" was essentially a dirty word that was typically used by elitist gatekeepers to discredit or shame bands and the fans of those bands into unwelcoming territory within the so-called "punk" community. Just as our society is evolving past racial stereotypes and prejudices, so is our music. Pop-punk is for everyone.

Regardless what your opinion of the term "pop punk" may be, Pop Punk Radio is open to a wide-variety of genres including punk, alternative, indie, and rock.

 

Why listen to Pop Punk Radio?

We believe that there is still an interest in hearing music that was not chosen by the listener or a computer algorithm. Computer AI may be helpful in many ways but they will never fully replicate the human experience and will often keep a listener trapped in an algorithm's bubble. 
 
We also have an ever growing rotation of up and coming independent artists that are just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps one of them will be your new favorite artist!

If you've been a fan from the early days, thank you so much for your continued support!
 
If you are just discovering us for the first time, I hope you enjoy what we are building here. Thank you for joining us!
 
Cheers!
 
-JD
 



What is pop punk?
Pop-punk is the fusion of pop music styles with the energy and chord progressions of punk rock. A somewhat edgier and more aggressive form of pop-music or a softer, but catchier form of punk rock. 
 

What bands are considered "pop-punk" bands?
This list could go on forever, but some of the more notable bands you may have heard already include Blink-182, Green Day, Sum 41, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory and Fall Out Boy. The Ramones are generally considered the pioneers of pop-punk. Although they may or may not have been the first pop-punk band to exist, they were certainly one of the first to bring the style of music to the masses.
 

What styles of pop-punk exist?
The various styles of pop-punk can primarily be explained based upon certain generations or eras.

Old School Era (70s-80s): This basically includes bands such as The Ramones, Descendents, The Queers, The Riverdales, Screeching Weasel & The Buzzcocks. The music was simple, but energetic and played way faster than much of the music of the time.

California / Skate Era (Early-Mid 90s): This is the style that explode into the mainstream with the success of California bands such as Green Day, Offspring, Pennywise, NOFX, Bad Religion & Face to Face. This style was very popular in extreme sports videos and absolutely dominates Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks.

Mainstream Era (Late 90s-Early 00s): Pop punk was never more prevalent in mainstream culture. Bands such as Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, & Sum 41 dominated the airwaves.

Emo Era (Mid 00s): This style was ushered in, and largely defined by bands such as My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, & Fall Out Boy. Green Day would also see a major resurgence with their "emo" album, American Idiot.

Midwest Indie Era (Late 00s-2018): This era was largely dominated by bands from the mid-western United States which often include a blending with indie music styles, performed by bands such as Mixtapes & Modern Baseball. We also witnessed the rise of "easycore" which blends pop punk with hardcore, and includes bands such as A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong, & Chunk! No Captain Chunk.

Electro-Pop Era? (2019-Current): The current era of punk is starting to see a blending with electronic elements, Green Day's latest album Father Of All Motherfuckers or Silverstein's A Beautiful Place To Drown are two of my own favorite examples. As well as Machine Gun Kelly's latest album Tickets To My Downfall, which features possibly the biggest pop punk single released in 2020 ("Bloody Valentine"). Past attempts to merge elements of electronica or rap with rock music have notoriously not gone well aside from a few exceptions. Emerging musical technology has changed the landscape and electronic elements in rock music will only progress as we move forward.

No matter what your preference is, pop punk has been around for decades. Pop punk is not going anywhere and will continue to adapt and hook new listeners generation by generation.
 
 
 
MORE ABOUT US...


Q: When you say you're "anti-woke" what does that mean? Do you hate LGBT people?

A: Not at all. Just look at our history of sharing music videos such as Coheed & Cambria's "Island" which features two male street performers who share a kiss at the end, I thought it was edgy for the time and the song has a great message. One of the first videos we ever shared was "Apple Juice" by Taintstick because my podcasting partner at the time liked it and I thought it was funny. I also really enjoy a handful of Pansy Division songs  ("Luv Luv Luv" is an all-time fav). We have at least one trans artist in our live radio rotation and I think they have two of the best songs played on our airwaves. I have no problem with people being who they want to be and loving who they want to love.

What I do have a problem with is having such opinions shoved in my face or forced upon me or being judged for being a cis "white" male. Be gay all you want. Just don't expect me to be anything more than an "ally." Unfortunately, in the past my support of gay or trans people has led me to being surrounded by the wrong people. Which leaves me hesitant to show such open support moving forward.

I've often been accused by friends and family who thought I was gay. I'm socially awkward, probably on the autism spectrum. I may not be gay but I've always related with gay people and had sympathy for them in terms of feeling like an "outsider."

In a previous job, I made friends with a trans person who sat in my row because I witnessed another co-worker in the same row make transphobic jokes towards them. I could tell by the person's reaction and facial expression that they were not amused by his jokes. I felt bad for this person and just wanted them to feel accepted. (That, and the other guy was kind of a jerk.) So I struck up conversation with them about Star Trek, a topic I have very little interest in myself. I just asked them how they felt about the new Star Trek reboot movies and if they would recommend them to someone like myself who has not watched the original series. This person was also closer to my age than the other college age kids in our office and was a fan of The Simpsons. In an office full of immature college-age shitheads who are all mostly a generation younger than me, I welcome the opportunity to discuss The Simpsons with someone at work who actually understands the show and doesn't look at me like a Grandpa when I quote the show.

In any case, I only wanted a platonic, work-related friendship with this person. However, this person developed feelings for me and began stalking me at work, cyber-stalking me outside of work, and harassing me to the point that I had to report them to HR. They created a hostile working environment for myself and made other people form negative opinions about me largely because they were butt-hurt that they couldn't get what the wanted from me. When my contract at this job end and I re-applied for a new one during the pandemic, I was not re-hired and I feel quite strongly that this person was responsible for sabotaging my career. Why? Because I only wanted a platonic friendship? What about the douchebag Dylan Bie who made the transphobic comments to begin with? He still gets to have a reliable job at Pacific Gas & Electric in Silicon Valley despite being witnessed making transphobic comments directed at coworkers while on the job? Why wasn't he targeted with the same level of malicious intent as I was when I just tried to make a coworker feel accepted? :shrug:

Unfortunately, that person's behavior also has encouraged me to never be as friendly or supportive of such people in the future out of fear of my friendship being misinterpreted. This also wasn't the only situation I had along these lines, although this wast he only one that creeped me out at such a personal level. The more common scenario was that I might make a guy friend at work and be stoekd to have a "buddy" but down the line I start to pick up vibes that they are attracted to me despite my attempts to make it clear to people I am not gay. I feel like some people either don't want to believe me or see it as a challenge. In either scenario, they were dead wrong and just end up making the friendship awkward.

So be gay, be lesbian, be trans all you want. If you write music and I think it's awesome I will play it. But if your song has words like "patriarchy" in the lyrics or rails too hard on the Social Justice Warrior or Modern Day Toxic Femnazi narratives, I'll kindly let you know that we are not a good fit.

Fly your flag and fly it proudly. Just don't expect me to fly your flag while people label me every bad name in the book for being "straight," "white," or "male" and having more moderate opinions on the subject. I might agree with your cause but why would I want to hang out at LGBT rallies where I'm likely to get creeped on by men and ignored by woman if that's not my thing? I'd much rather hang out with a crowd of dudes I can have a conversation with and not feel like they're going to hit on me or get offended by everything I say, or with women who don't think all men are the anti-Christ. This really shouldn't be shocking or offensive to anyone.


Q: What genres of music do you accept submissions for?

A: Primarily: Pop-Punk, Alternative, Punk Rock, Rock n Roll, Emo, Post-Hardcore, Indie, Ska, New Wave. However, we will accept some Hard Rock, Nu Metal, Hip-Hop, or other genres if the song resonates and fits with what we are doing.


Q: Do you have a preference for the type of music submitted?

A: Hm... good question. While I used to love me some emo break-up songs, I also feel that listening to such music can cause a person to remain trapped in a depression which can delay the healing process. I really like to support music that has a message of being strong, taking accountability for one's own dumb decisions, overcoming bad habits or addictions, and overall projects a message of positivity. Five or ten years ago I used to listen to the "why did she leave me, why doesn't she love me" songs and related with the emotion of the music, but these days I listen to such songs and think to myself "what a whiny little blue-pilled b**** I used to be!" Does this mean all music on our airwaves has to be "motivational?" No. I will play some sad songs. I still enjoy emo music. Silverstein remains one of my all-time favorite artists and that won't change. I still strongly believe that music should be emotional. But a great song with a positive message is always welcome at Pop Punk Radio.

IE: "Relentless" by The Nearly Deads / "Buildings Tumble" by MxPx / Stay Strong Playlist


Q: Are you willing to accept submissions from Christian artists?

A: Absolutely! We already have more than a few Christian artists in our rotation. Although I won't play worship music or songs that feel too preachy. Songs that mention God are fine. Songs that call me a "sinner" or "lost" for not being overtly religious can take a hike!

IE: "Future Me" by Winona Avenue / "Light" Playlist

 

Q: Are you willing to accept songs from Atheists?

A: Absolutely! Although I won't play anything that comes across as too disrespectful. I used to love me some "Best God In Show" or "Leaving Jesusland" by NOFX but I would not play those types of songs now out of respect for my audience. I also felt those songs meant much more to me back in 2004 or so when religion was being forced on us much more than it is now. Times have changed. Although I'll keep this opinion on a short leash because some religious people can indeed be quite pushy. If a George W Bush Jr ever became president and started forcing religion on us again, I would likely go right back to listening to songs like "Hysteria" by Aiden.


Q: Do you like songs about outer space, UFOs, or aliens?

A: Yes and YES! Although we don't play Blink 182 on our airwaves (love them, but they're on a major label) "Alines Exist" is one of my favorite songs by them along with "Little Weirdo" by The Vandals. Unwritten Law also has one or two albums themed around the subject with a handful of awesome songs. We do have a few alien/space themed songs on our airwaves including "Aliens" by Naked Walrus. We would love to have more songs of this theme!


Q: What about Halloween or occult themed songs about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, etc...?

A: Also yes!


Q: Are you willing to play music that talks about other religions?

A: Why not? If I like the song and it's not too preachy. Of course, the style of music still has to fit. We received a submission from an artist named Khair who sent us his song "Arabic Wisdom" and I play it because I want to show him support. I dig the psychedelic bassline and the message of turning to the words of Arabic poets such as Rumi or Kabir for inspiration while living in an area where you feel you are oppressed. 

I grew up in Southern California with a racially mixed group of friends. One of my good buddies was Turkish / Muslim. I don't know much about the Middle East or about Islam but I was exposed to it enough through my friend to have some respect. I also saw how George W Bush's anti-Middle East propaganda affected my buddy during that time period when many of our friends (myself included) would tease him by repeating lines from Team America: World Police. (This song is about as "woke" as we get because I really wanted to show support for Khair even if the first line of the song goes against what we are trying to do here. ie: demonizing one particular ethnic or racial group)


Q: Are you a Democrat or a Republican?

A: Neither. I'm a registered Independent voter. Although many people called me liberal during the George W Bush administration because I didn't want to get sent to fight in a war I didn't agree with and now people call me conservative because I am not a supporter of vax/mask mandates or lock-downs. Maybe I'm just one of those assholes who likes to play devil's advocate? I think there will always be political elements that I will agree / disagree with regardless which party is in control. In terms of polittical parties and polticians, I subscribe to a "don't trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em" philosophy.

Ps.. I fully look forward to seeing posts on Reddit by immature basement dwellers asking the Hive Mind if my opinions are OK. lol