Blink

Pop-punk godfathers blink-182 embody why the genre appeals to millions.

The San Diego band, which coalesced in the early '90s around co-frontmen Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus, blend upbeat tempos, catchy hooks, and bawdy humor with lyrics that understand the pain of adolescence—and life in general.

The trio's 1995 debut, Cheshire Cat, and 1997 commercial breakthrough Dude Ranch illustrate a fondness for breakneck-speed punk and sharply honed melodies, but blink-182 connected with bigger audiences in the later '90s because their rebellion offered both comic relief—see the nudity-heavy video for \