The pop-punk artist Olivia Rodrigo released her new album "GUTS" this past week, which has been all the rave online and amongst fans across the globe. Its culmination of emo and love angsty-ness is all wrapped up into 12 perfectly-curated tracks that are quickly climbing the charts. She has solidified herself as the face of pop punk teen-hood, highlighting the growing pains of love, life, and heartbreak that we know all too well.
BBC | Nick Levine | Getty Images
After the release of "SOUR" in 2021, her first solo drop and introduction into the pop-punk genre, fans across the world were loving the nostalgic feel of her music, taking us back to the 90s and early 2000s where pop punk attitudes were born and became a cultural phenomenon. The album featured some of the biggest hits of the year, including "Driver's License" and "Good 4 U" as well as received nominations for over 12 awards, winning 8 of them between 2021 and 2022. Not only did the album launch her career, revamp the pop-punk genre, and become one of the best selling artists in 2021 & 2022, but she reintroduced the cultural phenomenon into the decade.
Let's dive back a few decades....
This genre has reigned supreme from the late 80s to the early 2000s but experienced a mass decline in the mid 2010s due to other genres gaining favoritism. The image of the emo angsty tween that we know and love was curated by a plethora of artists who turned the stress and emotions of their developmental years into art. The current revival of pop-punk artistry is thanks to multiple new and old bands resurfacing and reminding us, once again, that it's okay to let those emotions fire out, and Rodrigo may be leading the charge.
Olivia's new & improved artistry surrounding the genre has formed newfound fans within the next generation of music listeners. She's quoted multiple inspirations within the industry, including some of the biggest pop punk moguls who paved the way for the music we know and love today, from Avril Lavigne, The Killers, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Green Day, to many more.
Multiple female-led bands and musicians helped shape the culture that accompanies pop punk music.
Dicogs
Initially, the Lunachicks a culmination of 4 band members, formed in the late 80s were the epitome of the pop punk artistry and look. From their badass energy, vocal strength, and angsty front, they kicked off the punk appearance that's easily recongized.
Evanescence, The Donnas, and Bikini Kill took over the 90s with some of the biggest pop punk tracks to date and brought us towards the more popular years of the genre. Paramore, Avril Lavigne, The Veronicas, and Ashlee Simpson quickly became some of the biggest names in the genre as well as the face of it during some of its peak years in the early 2000s and helped curate a name & style that will forever leave a mark on music history. This brings us to more current artists who fall within the category, headed by Olivia Rodrigo who has taken the torch from other lead bands.
Her latest album "GUTS" continues her reign within the genre and is training the new generation of tween and teen girls to let some of their angsty and emotional baggage on the floor. Between the messy-like lyricism, head-banging energy, undeniable talent, and "I don't care" attitude, she may be carrying the new fandom of pop punk.
Comments