3 Pop-Punk One-Hit Wonders From the 2000s That Still Make Us Smile

When you get down to it, pop-punk is one of the most fun genres of music out there in the world. It’s energetic, loud, fast, irreverent, and catchy. The songs don’t necessarily deal with serious topics, and yet they resonate in real ways with audiences. In the history of the genre, there have been some big-name pop-punk bands, from Blink-182 to Green Day. But here below, we wanted to explore other groups.

Videos by American Songwriter

We wanted to dive into the world of pop-punk one-hit wonders. You know, those songs that raced up the charts but whose composers never quite saw the same success again. Indeed, these are three pop-punk one-hit wonders that still put a smile on our faces today.

“Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus from ‘Wheatus’ (2000)

One of the great things about the pop-punk genre is that its songs can be about anything. The artists can say generally whatever they like. That way, there is a cathartic aspect to the style. Take, for example, “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. The hit tune is self-deprecating on the face of it. Lead vocalist Brendan B. Brown practically insults himself as he sings about being, well, a teenage dirtbag. But the idea is supposed to be subversive—he’s really voicing the looks that he and his peers got for being themselves. Said Brown, “When I sing: ‘I’m just a teenage dirtbag’, I’m effectively saying: ‘Yeah, fuck you if you don’t like it.” Well, okay then!

“Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne from ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’ (2003)

This track, which is from Fountains Of Wayne’s 2003 LP Welcome Interstate Managers, is all about, well, physical attraction. But it’s a one-sided attraction that’s also intergenerational. But that’s the thing with pop-punk music. It often expresses the inner thoughts that young people have. For instance, it’s not unusual for a tween kid to have a crush on one of their friends’ parents, and that is exactly what this pop-punk tune describes. That taboo attraction from afar. It’s wrong, but it’s also harmless. Right? Right?! Right!

“The Boys Of Summer” by The Ataris from ‘So Long, Astoria’ (2003)

While this track was originally released by Don Henley in 1984, the Anderson, Indiana-born rockers known as The Ataris covered it in 2003 for their LP, So Long, Astoria. You can hear Henley’s influence in the song, but at the same time, The Ataris made it all their own, turning an 80s rock tune into a pop-punk masterpiece. There are other great examples of pop-punk bands turning 80s songs into new age singles, including “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm”. But this remake by The Ataris really raises your eyebrows with how unique and how good it really is.

Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images