In 1994, Green Day’s third album, Dookie, pushed pop-punk into the mainstream. Throughout the late 90s, countless other pop-punk bands emerged. This coincided with the rise of skateboarding in the 1990s, with the sport becoming widely popular in the late 90s. With skateboarding on the rise, many millennials attempted to take up the hobby, resulting in some harsh slams on concrete. Skateboarding culture and pop-punk went hand in hand in the 90s, and these pop-punk bands gave millennials the courage to take these harsh slams on a skateboard.
Less Than Jake
Formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1992, Less Than Jake blended together pop-punk and ska punk at a time when the two genres were beginning to take over the alternative music world. They released their debut album, Pezcore, in 1995, before joining a major label. Now signed with Capitol Records, the band released their 1996 sophomore album, Losing Streak. They followed up in 1998 with Hello Rockview, produced by Howard Benson, who would go on to work with bands such as My Chemical Romance. With these albums, Less Than Jake was at the forefront of the skate-punk movement from the late 90s into the early 2000s.
Blink-182
As Green Day dominated the mid-to-late 90s, Blink-182 started to benefit from their momentum, launching into the mainstream with their 1997 sophomore album, Dude Ranch. Their 1995 debut, Cheshire Cat, established the group’s signature sound, but they became a mainstream success with their follow-up. It was the last to feature original drummer Scott Raynor, who then left the group in 1998.
By this point, Blink-182 was on a fast track to match the success of Green Day. Dude Ranch peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard 200, but landed at No. 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. In 1999, their third album, Enema Of The State, was the first to feature iconic punk drummer Travis Barker. This completed the band’s legendary trio lineup. Enema Of The State was a huge commercial success at the end of the 90s, peaking at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200.
MxPx
MxPx were another dominant skate-punk band in the 1990s. They released three defining pop-punk albums in the mid-90s, all a year apart. In 1994, they released their debut album Pokinatcha. They followed up in 1995 with Teenage Politics, featuring some of their most popular songs such as “Punk Rawk Show”.
Their 1996 album, Life In General, is considered to be the band’s masterpiece. It features the essential 90s pop-punk anthem, “Chick Magnet”. MxPx is a band that was known to be closely associated with 90s skateboarding culture. They even used skateboarding in their imagery. An example of this is the cover art of the band’s 1998 B-sides and rarities album, Let It Happen.
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