I was originally planning to do an entry about alternative music, but Blink 182 is a genre in itself. Now, unless you have been living in Alaska or under a rock, you have probably heard of Blink 182. You may not necessarily like them, but you must have heard “All the Small Things” at least once in your life.

The reason I consider Blink 182 a genre is because of the cultural impact it has had, and how much it has created. Not just songs or albums, but bands. More specifically Angels and Airwaves, Plus 44, Boxcar Racer, and other bands I am forgetting. The sound is certainly unique, I have yet to find another artist outside of the Blink 182 genre to come close in conveying the same feeling as these bands do. Their songs, especially the post Blink 182 bands, are perfect at expressing the human condition.

So who are these bands? Well let’s start off at the beginning:

Blink 182: The beginning of it all. The songs were more lighthearted, to me it makes me think of college. I have no idea why. While lighthearted and more pop music leaning, some of their songs did touch on heavy subjects. “Do it for the Kids” certainly had a meaningful message to it. They were a huge musical impact in the early 2000s.

Angels and Airwaves: My favorite out of the Blink 182 “genre.” Al of their songs have a strong emotional connection. They’ll make you cry and make you jump for joy. SOmetimes even in the same song. What got me hooked was “The Adventure” it had such a hopeful meaning behind it, it would always brighten my day when I heard on VH1. What got me really into it though was the song “It Hurts” The meaning behind is something everyone can connect with, and thus we all understand the pain in Tom’s voice as he sings it.

Boxcar Racer: They make some of the most unique songs of these bands. Here is where you get into the deep songs and honest lyrics that I love about these bands. Anything from religion or just simple bliss, these songs will make you think and cry.

Plus 44: I have to say, I am not a fan of most of what this band does. What redeems them though is the song “No it Isn’t” which describes the Blink 182 breakup. That song is so good that it makes up for all the other songs they play.

I would recommend that you go and listen to some, if not all, of the songs I have highlighted in this post. They are some of the best works in modern music in my opinion.