A Pop-Punker’s guide to get the most out of Warped Tour D.C.!
You like your music a little brighter and bouncier. You want to jump in the pit but not actually fist fight someone! You’re a pop-punk kid! And that’s okay! If you want to maximize your time with bands that are skate shop approved, here is the NAPNET List of the ultimate Pop-Punk line-up for D.C. Warped Tour!
DEFINITELY POP-PUNK
Boston power-pop fronted by Stacy Jones, who drummed for Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt before stepping out to front American Hi-Fi. Their 2001 self-titled debut featuring the single "Flavor of the Weak" was all over the airwaves with tons of radio play. Stacy has also spent the last several years as the drummer and musical director for Miley Cyrus. You don't get much poppier than that! Her boyfriend, he don't know...
Chicago based up-and-comers who call their sound "post-pop-punk," Fluorescents are definitely an act to catch this year for anyone that's into catchy hooks you can bop along to. They're exactly the kind of DIY new comers Warped Tour exists to help grow.
Maybe the most important band in the modern pop-punk revival. The band famously started as an internet long-distance project before Fueled By Ramen picked them up and made them pop-punk genre figureheads. Their WORRIED SICK EP was released last year and is full of absolute bangers.
These guys have been tearing it up since 1992 and still manage to put on one of the best live shows around. With enough roots in the Christian-punk to get the youth group kids excited, you can't not love songs like "Chick Magnet," "Responsibility," or "Punk Rawk Show." I mean, come on. Responsibility? What's that?
Frontman, kick-ass tattoo artist, and occasional Elsa-from-frozen cosplayer Jordan Pundik and guitarist Chad Gilbert have made careers out of writing catchy tunes AND putting out some of the best pop punk covers ever recorded. Their self titled album, Sticks and Stones, and Catalyst also culminate in possibly the greatest pop punk 3 run of all time.
Bay Area melodic-hardcore-meets-pop-punk, with twin vocalists Jordan Brown and Matt Wilson trading lines over gang chants and breakdowns (Mutiny!, This Will Be the Death of Us). A Warped appearance is a real gift to anyone who's been waiting to see these guys live.
California husband-and-wife duo Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas, pairing bubblegum hooks with scrappy punk energy across two decades and nine-plus albums. Famously DIY and crowdfunded, their shows pull fans of every age, parents and kids singing the same words. Sweet, loud, and built to last. Just go see them. Because they're awesome.
The buzziest newcomer here by a mile. Formed in Atlanta in 2024, the all-Black quartet went viral almost instantly, with "Do Me Like That" pulling tens of millions of views and a Travis Barker–featuring single not far behind. In addition to bringing some SORELY NEEDED representation to the scene, these guys freaking ROCK. They've already opened for Green Day and Jack White. Catch them now, because they only get bigger from here on out.
Torchbearers for the heavier, more aggressive edge of pop-punk. Under Soil and Dirt and What You Don't See are scene cornerstones. In fact, all five of their studio albums are worth a listen to.
If I could find you now, things would get better. After a 2017 breakup, Yellowcard's most recent album Better Days (produced by Travis Barker and featuring Avril Lavigne on a track) is a gift. With Ryan Key on guitar and Sean Mackin on violin, these guys still own any stage they perform on. They've even re-recorded some of their Better Days tracks with Good Charlotte and Blippi. Fun for the whole family!
MORE POP IN YOUR PUNK
LA next-gen rock signed by blink-182's Mark Hoppus to Verswire, with Hoppus and Pete Wentz as early mentors. Their 2025 debut full-length WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO? is great, their 2022 EP WE MADE PLANS & GOD LAUGHED is even better. These guys are glossy and rebellious.
Frontwomen Dani and Keaton share vocal duties for this self-proclaimed bubblegrunge group. Another group that got some Pete Wentz mentorship, they've opened for Fall Out Boy and Pierce the Veil, and just struck out on their own first headline tour. Their newest EP, So Much To Say, is 15 minutes of pure bliss. Especially if you are or love someone named Emily.
Former rapper T. Mills and Nick Gross (ex-Goldfinger drummer) make up this power-pop duo, with debut production from John Feldmann. With tons of blink-and-5SOS-shaped hooks, these guys lean hard into nostalgia and growing up in the old neighborhood. Go ahead, try not to sing along.
Another pop-rock duo, Devin Papadol and Donny Lloyd form Honey Revenge. Their debut release Retrovision cleared 100 million streams, and they've got a follow up album coming out later this year. This is another band you can't afford to miss - they aren't going to be playing small stages much longer. Catch them at Warped and then catch them headlining the Idobi Summer School tour!
God forbid a girl take over as the queen of pop punk. Toronto's LØLØ (or Lolo if you can't figure out how to type the Ø) is killing it this year. Her new album god forbid a girl spits out her feelings! is an album of the year contender. Funny, furious, fantastic.
These guys also split in 2017, but we are blessed to have them back. The Arizona pop-rockers are known for hits like "Chelsea," "Boomerang" and "Legendary" but their newest album, 2025's Meet Me At The Record Store is just as catchy and poppy as anything they put out in the 2010s.
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