Genre story · Punk
Melodic Punk
Punk's fast guitars giving equal space to tuneful singing and direct choruses.
Melodic Punk is broader than both Pop Punk and Melodic Hardcore. Punk musicians were already using clear melodies in the 1970s; later bands in California, Canada and elsewhere developed fast, tightly written songs whose tunes survived the abrasive guitar sound. Descendents and Bad Religion became important references, though their methods and lyrical interests were quite different. The style can remain urgent and unpolished without leaning toward a commercial pop arrangement. Its boundaries with Skate Punk and melodic hardcore are especially porous.
Listening examples
- 1982DescendentsMilo Goes to College
- 1988Bad ReligionSuffer
- 1993PropagandhiHow to Clean Everything