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{{Short description|Music genre}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Power pop
| etymology         = 
| image             = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = 
| stylistic_origins = {{flatlist|
* [[Pop rock]]
* [[garage rock]]
* [[hard rock]]
* [[Beat music|beat]]
* [[rockabilly]]
* [[doo-wop]]
* [[jangle]]
}}
| cultural_origins  = Mid-1960s – early 1970s, United States and United Kingdom
| fusiongenres      = * [[Pop-punk]]
| other_topics      = * [[List of power pop albums|List of albums]]
* [[list of power pop artists and songs|list of artists and songs]]
* [[jangle pop]]
* [[glam rock]]
* [[mod revival]]
* [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
* [[neo-psychedelia]]
* [[college rock]]
}}

'''Power pop''' (also typeset as '''powerpop''') is a subgenre of [[rock music]] and form of [[pop rock]]{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=8}}<ref name="masterclass">{{cite web |title=Power Pop Guide: A Brief History of Power Pop |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/power-pop-guide |website=MasterClass |access-date=May 23, 2022 |date=Mar 4, 2022}}</ref> based on the early music of bands such as [[the Who]], [[the Beatles]], [[the Beach Boys]], and [[the Byrds]].<ref name="Allmusic" /><ref name="Murray" /> It typically incorporates melodic [[hook (music)|hooks]], vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and cheerful-sounding music underpinned by a sense of yearning, longing, despair, or self-empowerment. The sound is primarily rooted in [[pop music|pop]] and [[rock music|rock]] traditions of the early-to-mid 1960s, although some artists have occasionally drawn from later styles such as [[punk rock|punk]], [[new wave music|new wave]], [[glam rock]], [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]], [[college rock]], and [[neo-psychedelia]]. 

Originating in the 1960s, power pop developed mainly among American musicians who [[came of age]] during the [[British Invasion]]. Many of these young musicians wished to retain the "teenage innocence" of pop and rebelled against newer forms of rock music that were thought to be pretentious and inaccessible. The term was coined in 1967 by the Who guitarist and songwriter [[Pete Townshend]] to describe his band's style of music. However, power pop became more widely identified with later acts of the 1970s who sought to revive [[Beatlesque|Beatles-style pop]].

Early 1970s releases by [[Badfinger]], the [[Raspberries (band)|Raspberries]], and [[Todd Rundgren]] are sometimes credited with solidifying the power pop sound into a recognizable genre. Power pop reached its commercial peak during the rise of punk and new wave in the late 1970s, with [[Cheap Trick]], [[the Knack]], [[the Romantics]], [[Nick Lowe]], [[Dave Edmunds]], and [[Dwight Twilley]] among those enjoying the most success.<!--- Do not add another artist without citing their significance in the body ---> After a popular and critical backlash to the genre's biggest hit, "[[My Sharona]]" (the Knack, 1979), record companies generally stopped signing power pop groups, and most of the 1970s bands broke up in the early 1980s.

Over subsequent decades, power pop continued with modest commercial success while also remaining a frequent object of derision among some critics and musicians. The 1990s saw a new wave of [[alternative rock|alternative]] bands that were drawn to 1960s artists because of the 1980s music they had influenced. Although not as successful as their predecessors, [[Jellyfish (band)|Jellyfish]], [[the Posies]], [[Redd Kross]], [[Teenage Fanclub]], and [[Material Issue]] were critical and cult favorites. In the mid-1990s, an offshoot genre that combined power pop-style harmonies with uptempo punk rock, dubbed "[[pop-punk]]", reached mainstream popularity.

==Definition and etymology==

===Characteristics===
{{multiple image|total_width=|direction=vertical
| image1 = The Who Hamburg 1972 2 (cropped).jpg
| image2 = Televisie-optreden van The Beatles in Treslong te Hillegom vlnr. Paul McCartney, Bestanddeelnr 916-5099.jpg
| image3 = Sullivan Beach Boys (cropped).jpg
| footer = From top: [[the Who]] (1972), [[the Beatles]] (1964), and [[the Beach Boys]] (1964)
}}

Power pop is a more aggressive form of [[pop rock]] that is based on catchy, melodic hooks and energetic moods.{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=7–8}} [[AllMusic]] describes the style as "a cross between the crunching [[hard rock]] of [[the Who]] and the sweet melodicism of [[the Beatles]] and [[the Beach Boys]], with the [[jangle|ringing guitars]] of [[the Byrds]] thrown in for good measure".<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/power-pop-ma0000002793 |title=Power Pop |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=November 26, 2012 |archive-date=September 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919062543/http://www.allmusic.com/style/power-pop-ma0000002793 |url-status=live }}</ref> Virtually every artist of the genre has been a rock band consisting of white male musicians who engaged with the song forms, vocal arrangements, [[chord progression]]s, rhythm patterns, instrumentation, or overall sound associated with groups of the mid-1960s [[British Invasion]] era.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=136, 138}}

An essential feature of power pop is that its cheerful sounding arrangements are supported by a sense of "yearning", "longing", or "despair" similar to formative works such as "[[Wouldn't It Be Nice]]" (the Beach Boys, 1966) and "[[Pictures of Lily]]" (the Who, 1967). This might be achieved with an unexpected harmonic change or lyrics that refer to "tonight", "tomorrow night", "Saturday night", and so on.<ref name="Chabon">{{cite web|last=Chabon|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Chabon|title=Tragic Magic: Reflections on Power Pop|url=http://michaelchabon.com/uncollected/musical/tragic-magic/|access-date=March 30, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411092844/http://michaelchabon.com/uncollected/musical/tragic-magic/|archive-date=April 11, 2013}}</ref> Power pop was also noted for its lack of irony and its reverence to classic pop craft.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=145, 149}} Its reconfiguration of 1960s tropes, music journalist [[Paul Lester]] argued, could make it one of the first [[postmodern]] music genres.<ref name="Lester">{{cite web |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author-link=Paul Lester |title=Powerpop: 10 of the best |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/feb/11/power-pop-10-of-the-best |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=February 11, 2015 |access-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010111532/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/feb/11/power-pop-10-of-the-best |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Scope and recognition===

The Who's [[Pete Townshend]] coined the term in a May 1967 interview promoting their latest single "Pictures of Lily".<ref name="Earles"/>{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=129}} He said: "Power pop is what we play—what the [[Small Faces]] used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of '[[Fun, Fun, Fun]]' which I preferred."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Altham |first=Keith |title=Lily Isn't Pornographic, Say Who |journal=[[NME]] |issue=20 May 1967}}</ref> Despite other bands following in the power pop continuum since then, the term was not popularized until the rise of [[new wave music]] in the late 1970s.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=129}} [[Greg Shaw]], editor of ''[[Bomp!]]'' magazine, was the most prominent in the slew of music critics that wrote about power pop (then written as "powerpop"). This mirrored similar developments with the term "[[punk rock]]" from earlier in the decade. In light of this, Theo Cateforis, author of ''Are We Not New Wave?'' (2011), wrote that "the recognition and formulation" of power pop as a genre "was by no means organic."{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=130, 132}}

There is significant debate among fans over what should be classed as power pop.<ref name="Earles" /> Shaw took credit for codifying the genre in 1978, describing it as a hybrid style of pop and punk. He later wrote that "much to my chagrin, the term was snapped up by legions of limp, second-rate bands hoping the majors would see them as a safe alternative to punk."<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Greg Shaw|last=Shaw|first=Greg|date=1994|url=http://bomp.com/History.html |title=It was 20 years ago today{{nbsp}}...|publisher=Bomp.com |access-date=December 4, 2009|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212135740/http://www.bomp.com/history.html |archive-date=December 12, 2009}}</ref> Music journalist [[John M. Borack]] also stated in his 2007 book ''Shake Some Action – The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop'' that the label is often applied to varied groups and artists with "blissful indifference", noting its use in connection with [[Britney Spears]], [[Green Day]], [[the Bay City Rollers]] and [[Def Leppard]].{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=7}}

Power pop has struggled with its critical reception and is sometimes viewed as a shallow style of music associated with teenage audiences. The perception was exacerbated by record labels in the early 1980s who used the term for marketing [[post-punk]] styles.<ref name="Shuker2017">{{cite book|last=Shuker|first=Roy|title=Popular Music: The Key Concepts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iIlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA268|year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-18954-1|pages=267–268|access-date=2019-07-25|archive-date=2020-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818185329/https://books.google.com/books?id=7iIlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA268|url-status=live}}</ref> Music critic Ken Sharp summarized that power pop is "the [[Rodney Dangerfield]] of rock 'n' roll.{{nbsp}}[...] the direct updating of the most revered artists—the Who, the Beach Boys, the Beatles—yet it gets no respect."<ref name="Earles" /> In 1996, singer-songwriter [[Tommy Keene]] commented that any association to the term since the 1980s is to be "compared to a lot of bands that didn't sell records, it's like a disease. If you're labeled that, you're history."<ref name="cost"/> Musician [[Steve Albini]] said: "I cannot bring myself to use the term 'power pop.' Catchy, mock-descriptive terms are for dilettantes and journalists. I guess you could say I think this music is for pussies and should be stopped."<ref>{{cite web |title=Power Pop: What I Like About You: Artists Surrender Their Favorite American Power Pop Songs |url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/09/power-pop-what-i-like-about-you-artists-surrender-their-favorite-american-power-pop-songs/ |website=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]] |access-date=October 6, 2018 |date=September 9, 2002 |archive-date=October 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006235418/http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/09/power-pop-what-i-like-about-you-artists-surrender-their-favorite-american-power-pop-songs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ken Stringfellow]] of [[the Posies]] concurred that "There’s a kind of aesthetic to power pop to be light on purpose. I wanted something with more gravitas."<ref name="louder17">{{cite web |last1=Lambeth |first1=Sam |title=Cheap Tricks and Big Stars: In Praise of Power Pop |url=https://louderthanwar.com/cheap-tricks-and-big-stars-in-praise-of-power-pop/ |website=[[Louder Than War]] |date=24 April 2017 |access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905144937/https://louderthanwar.com/cheap-tricks-and-big-stars-in-praise-of-power-pop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Original waves ==
=== 1960s: Origins and precursors ===
{{See also|Cultural impact of the Beatles|Beatlemania|Rockism and poptimism}}

{{listen|pos=right
|filename=I Want To Hold Your Hand (Beatles song - sample).ogg
|title=The Beatles—"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963)
|description=Many artists drew elements such as hand claps, ringing guitars, vocal harmonies, and direct romantic lyrics from songs like "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]".{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=129, 139}}
}}

Power pop originated in the late 1960s as young music fans began to rebel against the emerging pretensions of rock music.<ref name="Murray" /> During this period, a schism developed between "serious" artists who rejected pop and "crassly commercial" pop acts who embraced their [[teenybopper]] audience.{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=9}} Greg Shaw credited the Who as the starting point for power pop, whereas Carl Caferelli (writing in Borack's book) said that "the story really begins circa 1964, with the commercial ascension of [[the Beatles in America]]."{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=8}} Caferelli also recognized the Beatles as the embodiment of the "pop band" ideal.{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=9–10}} According to ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', British Invasion bands, particularly the [[Merseybeat]] sound first popularised by the Beatles and its "[[jangle|jangly]] guitars, pleasant melodies, immaculate vocal harmonies, and a general air of teenage innocence", were a key influence on 1970s power-pop bands such as [[the Raspberries]], [[Big Star]], [[the Knack]] and [[XTC]].<ref name="RS Encyclopedia">{{cite book|editor1-first=Patricia|editor1-last=Romanowski|editor2-first=Holly |editor2-last=George-Warren|title=The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|publisher=Fireside/Rolling Stone Press|location=New York, NY|year=1995|isbn=0-684-81044-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr/page/117 117]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr/page/117}}</ref>

{{Quote box
|align=right
|text= I believe pop music should be like the TV—something you can turn on and off and shouldn't disturb the mind.{{nbsp}}[...] It's very hard to like "[[Strawberry Fields Forever|Strawberry Fields]]" for simply what it is. Some artists are becoming musically unapproachable.
| source=—Pete Townshend, 1967{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=129}}
|width  = 25%
|}}

When Pete Townshend coined the term, he suggested that songs like "[[I Can't Explain]]" (1965) and "[[Substitute (The Who song)|Substitute]]" (1966) were more accessible than the changing, more experimental directions other groups such as the Beatles were taking.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=129}} However, the term did not become widely identified with the Who,<ref name="Carmen">{{cite web|url=http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/4/music/20070904092526&sec=music |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324114946/http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F9%2F4%2Fmusic%2F20070904092526&sec=music |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2012 |title=With Raspberries reunion, Eric Carmen's no longer all by himself |first=Dan|last=MacIntosh |date=September 4, 2007 |work=ecentral.my |access-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref> and it would take a few years before the genre's stylistic elements coalesced into a more recognizable form.<ref name="Chabon" /> ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'s}} Noel Murray said that "once the sound became more viable and widely imitated, it was easier to trace the roots of the genre back to [[rockabilly]], [[doo-wop]], girl groups, and the early records of the Beatles, the Byrds, the Beach Boys, [[the Kinks]], and the Who."<ref name="Murray">{{cite web|date=October 11, 2012|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/a-beginners-guide-to-the-heyday-of-power-pop-1972--86527|title=A beginners' guide to the heyday of power-pop, 1972-1986|last1=Murray|first1=Noel|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=January 16, 2016|archive-date=January 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120175936/http://www.avclub.com/article/a-beginners-guide-to-the-heyday-of-power-pop-1972--86527|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Robert Hilburn]] traced the genre "chiefly from the way the Beatles and the Beach Boys mixed rock character and pure Top 40 instincts in such records as the latter's '[[California Girls]]'."<ref name="Hilburn">{{cite web |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Hilburn |title='Poptopia!': 3-Decade Look at Power Pop |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-27-ca-7281-story.html |website=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 5, 2018 |date=June 27, 1997 |archive-date=March 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321112138/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-27/entertainment/ca-7281_1_power-pop |url-status=live }}</ref> Borack noted, "It's also quite easy to draw a not-so-crooked line from [[garage rock]] to power pop."<ref name="Borack2">{{cite web|url=http://rockandrolltribe.com/profiles/blogs/25-1960sera-garage-rock |title="25 1960s era Garage Rock Nuggets" by John M. Borack |last1=Borack |first1=John M. |last2=Brodeen |first2=Bruce |date=August 4, 2010 |work=rockandrolltribe.com |access-date=July 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310202336/http://rockandrolltribe.com/profiles/blogs/25-1960sera-garage-rock |archive-date=March 10, 2012 }}</ref>

Townshend himself was heavily influenced by the guitar work of Beach Boy [[Carl Wilson]],<ref>{{cite book|date=1976|author=March, Dave|title=The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll}}</ref> while the Who's debut single "I Can't Explain" was indebted to the Kinks' "[[You Really Got Me]]" (1964).{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=9}} Roy Shuker identified the leading American power pop acts of the time as the Byrds, [[Tommy James and the Shondells]], and [[Paul Revere and the Raiders]].<ref name="Shuker2017"/> Also significant to power pop in the 1960s were [[the Dave Clark Five]],{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=8–9}} [[The Creation (band)|the Creation]],<ref name="Shaw"/> [[the Easybeats]],<ref name="Shaw">{{cite magazine |last=Shaw |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Shaw |date=March 1978 |title=Power Pop! |magazine=[[Who Put the Bomp|Bomp!]] |location=North Hollywood, California |volume=13 }}</ref> [[the Move]],<ref name="Murray"/><ref name="Shuker2017"/> and the [[Nazz]].<ref name="Earles"/>

===1970s: Emergence===
[[File:Todd Rungreen.jpg|thumb|left|[[Todd Rundgren]]'s work with [[Nazz]] in the 1960s and as a solo artist in the 1970s was significant to the development of the genre.<ref name="Earles" />]]

In the 1970s, the rock scene fragmented into many new styles. Artists drifted away from the influence of early Beatles songs, and those who cited the Beatles or the Who as influences were in the minority.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=129}} In Paul Lester's description, "powerpop is really a 70s invention. It's about young musicians missing the 60s but taking its sound in new directions.{{nbsp}}[...] not just an alternative to [[progressive rock|prog]] and the hippy troubadours, but a cousin to glam."<ref name="Lester"/> Novelist [[Michael Chabon]] believed that the genre did not truly come into its own until the emergence of "second generation" power pop acts in the early 1970s.<ref name="Chabon"/> Lester added that it was "essentially an American response to the British Invasion, made by Anglophiles a couple of years too young to have been in bands the first time round."<ref name="Lester" />

For many fans of power pop, according to Caferelli, the "bloated and sterile" aspect of 1970s rock was indicative of the void left by the Beatles' [[Break-up of the Beatles|breakup in 1970]].{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=9–10}} During the early to middle part of the decade, only a few acts continued the tradition of [[Beatlesque|Beatles-style]] pop. Some were younger [[glam rock|glam]]/[[glitter rock|glitter]] bands, while others were {{"'}}60s holdovers" that refused to update their sound.{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=9–10}} One of the most prominent groups in the latter category was [[Badfinger]], the first artists signed to the Beatles' [[Apple Records]]. Although they had international top 10 chart success with "[[Come and Get It (Badfinger song)|Come and Get It]]" (1969), "[[No Matter What (Badfinger song)|No Matter What]]" (1970), and "[[Day After Day (Badfinger song)|Day After Day]]" (1971), they were criticized in the music press as Beatles imitators.{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=10}} Caferelli describes them as "one of the earliest—and finest purveyors" of power pop.{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=10}} Conversely, AllMusic states that while Badfinger were among the groups that established the genre's sound, the [[Raspberries (band)|Raspberries]] were the only power pop band of the era to have hit singles.<ref name="Allmusic" /> Noel Murray wrote that Badfinger had "some key songs" that were power pop "before the genre really existed".<ref name="Murray" />

{{listen|pos=right
|filename=Go All the Way.ogg
|title=Raspberries — "Go All the Way" (1972)
|description="[[Go All the Way (song)|Go All the Way]]" is often lauded as one of the finest power pop songs. Its music draws on [[Beach Boys]]-style harmonies, Beatles-style melodies, and Who-style energy.<ref name="Lester" />
}}

According to ''[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]]''{{'s}} Andrew Earles, 1972 was "year zero" for power pop. Developments from that year included the emergence of [[Big Star]] and the Raspberries, the release of [[Todd Rundgren]]'s ''[[Something/Anything?]]'', and the recording of [[the Flamin' Groovies]]' "[[Shake Some Action]]"; additionally, many garage bands had stopped emulating [[the Rolling Stones]].<ref name="Earles"/> Chabon additionally credited the Raspberries, Badfinger, Big Star, and Rundgren's "[[Couldn't I Just Tell You]]" and "[[I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren song)|I Saw the Light]]" with "inventing" the genre.<ref name="Chabon"/> On a television performance from 1978, Rundgren introduced "Couldn't I Just Tell You" as a part of "the latest musical trend, power pop."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Troper |first1=Morgan |title=A Wizard, a True Star |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/a-wizard-a-true-star/Content?oid=15815213 |website=[[Portland Mercury]] |date=June 10, 2015 |access-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929194725/https://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/a-wizard-a-true-star/Content?oid=15815213 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lester called the studio recording of the song a "masterclass in [[compression (audio)|compression]]" and said that Rundgren "staked his claim to powerpop immortality [and] set the whole ball rolling".<ref name="Lester" />

Earles identified the Raspberries as the only American band that had hit singles.<ref name="Earles"/> Murray recognized the Raspberries as the most representative power pop band and described their 1972 US top 10 "[[Go All the Way (Raspberries song)|Go All the Way]]" as "practically a template for everything the genre could be, from the heavy [[arena rock|arena-rock]] hook to the cooing, teenybopper-friendly verses and chorus."<ref name="Murray" /> Caferelli described the follow-up "[[I Wanna Be with You (Raspberries song)|I Wanna Be with You]]" (1972) as "perhaps the definitive power pop single".{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=11}} However, like Badfinger, the Raspberries were derided as "Beatles clones".{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=11, 50}} Singer [[Eric Carmen]] remembered that there "were a lot of people in 1972 who were not ready for any band that even remotely resembled the Beatles."{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=11}} Raspberries dissolved in 1975 as Carmen pursued a solo career.<ref name="Earles"/>

===1970s–1980s: Commercial peak and decline===
[[File:Cheaptrick1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cheap Trick]] playing in 1978]]

A recognizable movement of power pop bands following in the tradition of the Raspberries started emerging in the late 1970s,<ref name="Allmusic" /> with groups such as [[Cheap Trick]], [[the Jam]], [[the Romantics]], [[Shoes (band)|Shoes]], and the Flamin' Groovies, who were seen as 1960s revivalist bands.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=127}} Much of these newer bands were influenced by late 1960s AM radio, which fell into a rapid decline due to the popularity of the [[album-oriented rock|AOR]] and [[progressive rock (radio format)|progressive rock]] FM radio format.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=138}} By 1977, there was a renewed interest in the music and culture of the 1960s, with examples such as the ''[[Beatlemania (musical)|Beatlemania]]'' musical and the growing [[mod revival]].{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=124, 127}} [[AABA form]]s and [[double backbeat]]s also made their return after many years of disuse in popular music.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|pp=139–140}}

Spurred on by the emergence of punk rock and new wave, power pop enjoyed a prolific and commercially successful period from the late 1970s into the early 1980s.<ref name="Earles">{{cite web|last=Earles|first=Andrew|url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/07/power-pop-the-70s-the-birth-of-uncool/|title=Power Pop: The '70s, The Birth Of Uncool - Magnet Magazine|date=September 7, 2002|website=magnetmagazine.com|access-date=August 21, 2018|archive-date=August 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821062637/http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/07/power-pop-the-70s-the-birth-of-uncool/|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout the two decades, the genre existed parallel to and occasionally drew from developments such as glam rock, [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]], punk, new wave, [[college rock]], and [[neo-psychedelia]].<ref name="Murray" /> AllMusic states that these new groups were "swept along with the new wave because their brief, catchy songs fit into the post-punk aesthetic."<ref name="Allmusic" /> Most bands rejected the irreverence, cynicism, and irony that characterized new wave, believing that pop music was an [[high art|art]] that reached its apex in the mid-1960s, sometimes referred to as the "poptopia". This in turn led many critics to dismiss power pop as derivative work.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=128}}

Ultimately, the groups with the best-selling records were Cheap Trick, [[the Knack]], the Romantics, [[Tommy Tutone]] and [[Dwight Twilley]], whereas Shoes, [[the Records]], [[the Nerves]], and [[20/20 (band)|20/20]] only drew cult followings.<ref name="Allmusic" /> Writing for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' in 1978, [[Jay Cocks]] cited [[Nick Lowe]] and [[Dave Edmunds]] as "the most accomplished purveyors of power pop", which he described as "the well-groomed stepbrother of punk rock". Edmunds was quoted: "Before the New Wave{{nbsp}}[...] There was no chance for the little guy who buys a guitar and starts a band. What we're doing is kids' music, really, just four-four time and good songs."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cocks|first=Jay |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916235,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214030551/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916235,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 14, 2009 |title=Bringing Power to the People|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=June 6, 1978}}</ref> Cheap Trick became the most successful act in the genre's history thanks to the band's constant touring schedule and stage theatrics. According to Andrew Earles, the group's "astonishing acceptance in Japan (documented on 1979's ''[[Cheap Trick at Budokan|At Budokan]]'') and hits '[[Surrender (Cheap Trick song)|Surrender]]' and '[[I Want You To Want Me]],' the Trick took power pop to an arena level and attained a degree of success that the genre had never seen, nor would ever see again."<ref name="Earles"/>

The biggest chart hit by a power pop band was the Knack's debut single, "[[My Sharona]]", which topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart for six weeks in August–September 1979. However, the song's ubiquitous radio presence that summer spawned a popular and critical backlash against the band, which in turn led to a backlash against the power pop genre in general.{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=127}} Once the Knack failed to maintain their commercial momentum, record companies generally stopped signing power pop groups.<ref name="Hilburn"/> Most bands of the 1970s milieu broke up in the early 1980s.<ref name="Allmusic" />

==Succeeding waves==
=== 1980s–1990s: Alternative rock ===
[[File:The Posies - Bumbershoot 2000.jpg|thumb|[[The Posies]], 2000]]

In the 1980s and 1990s, power pop continued as a commercially modest genre with artists such as [[Redd Kross]] and [[the Spongetones]].{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=58}} The later records of [[XTC]] also became a touchstone for bands such as [[Jellyfish (band)|Jellyfish]] and [[the Apples in Stereo]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schabe|first1=Patrick|title=The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul|url=https://www.popmatters.com/the-man-who-sailed-around-his-soul-2495729988.html|website=PopMatters|date=October 27, 2006|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=January 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102194445/https://www.popmatters.com/the-man-who-sailed-around-his-soul-2495729988.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while Big Star developed an avid [[cult following]] among members of later bands like [[R.E.M.]] and [[The Replacements (band)|the Replacements]] who expressed esteem for the group's work.{{sfn|Borack|2007|pp=13, 29}} Many bands who were primarily influenced by Big Star blended power pop with the ethos and sounds of [[alternative rock]]. AllMusic cited [[Teenage Fanclub]], [[Material Issue]], and the Posies as "critical and cult favorites".<ref name="Allmusic" />

In 1991, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'s}} Chris Willman identified Jellyfish, the Posies, and Redd Kross as the leaders of a "new wave of rambunctious Power Pop bands that recall the days when moptops were geniuses, songs were around three minutes long and a great hook--a catchy melodic phrase that "hooks" the listener—was godhead."<ref name="Willman">{{cite news |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=POP MUSIC : Rediscovering the Beatles (Sort of) |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-18-ca-1425-story.html |access-date=October 5, 2018 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |date=August 18, 1991 |archive-date=October 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009013201/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-18/entertainment/ca-1425_1_power-pop |url-status=live}}</ref> Members of Jellyfish and Posies said that they were drawn to 1960s artists because of the 1980s music they influenced. At the time, it was uncertain whether the movement could have mainstream success.  Karen Glauber, editor of ''[[Hits (magazine)|Hits]]'' magazine, said that "The popular conception is that these bands are 'retro,' or not post-modern enough because they're not grunge and because the Posies are from Seattle and don't sound like [[Mudhoney]]."<ref name="Willman" />

[[Velvet Crush]]'s Ric Menck credited [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] with ultimately making it "possible for people like [[Matthew Sweet|Matthew [Sweet]]] and the Posies and Material Issue and, to some extent, us to get college radio play."<ref name="cost">{{cite web |last1=Cost |first1=Jud |title=Power Pop: The '90s, Attack of the Clones |url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/05/power-pop-the-%E2%80%9990s-attack-of-the-clones/ |website=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]] |access-date=October 6, 2018 |date=September 5, 2002 |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029020229/http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/05/power-pop-the-%E2%80%9990s-attack-of-the-clones/ |url-status=live}}</ref> As power pop "gained the attention of hip circles", many older bands reformed to record new material that was released on [[independent label]]s. Chicago label [[The Numero Group]] issued a compilation album called [[Yellow Pills: Prefill]], featuring overlooked pop tracks from 1979–1982. For the rest of decade, AllMusic writes, "this group of independent, grass-roots power-pop bands gained a small but dedicated cult following in the United States."<ref name="Allmusic" />

With the rise of bands like the Apples In Stereo, power pop became a major component of the [[Elephant 6]] music collective's identity often mixing with psychedelic and [[Slacker rock]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hogan |first=Marc |date=2023-08-25 |title=The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Documentary Shows Why a Scruffy '90s Indie Rock Community Still Matters |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-elephant-6-recording-co-documentary-review/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 1990s–2010s: Continued interest ===
[[File:Weezer Bethlehem 2019 5.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Weezer]] plays [[Musikfest]] in [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]], August 2019]]
Power pop has had varying levels of success since the 1990s.<ref name="louder17"/> In 1994, [[Green Day]] and [[The Offspring]] popularized [[pop-punk]], an alternative rock variant genre that fuses power pop harmonies with uptempo punk moods.<ref>{{cite web |title=Punk-Pop |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/punk-pop-ma0000004449 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221141206/https://www.allmusic.com/style/punk-pop-ma0000004449 |url-status=live }}</ref>  According to ''[[Louder Than War]]''{{'s}} Sam Lambeth, power pop has "ebbed and flowed" while remaining an object of critical derision. Despite this, he cites [[Fountains of Wayne]] with inspiring "yet another new era for the format" during the late 1990s, "one they'd perfect with the magnetic ''[[Welcome Interstate Managers]]'' (2003)."<ref name="louder17"/> He writes that as of 2017, "you can still hear some of power pop's core traits in bands such as [[Best Coast]], [[Sløtface]], [[Diet Cig]] and [[Dude York]]."<ref name="louder17"/> In 2005, [[The Click Five]] released their debut single "[[Just the Girl]]" which was co-written by [[Adam Schlesinger]] of Fountains of Wayne.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://americansongwriter.com/4-one-hit-wonders-in-pop-punk-that-ignited-the-2000s-scene/|title=4 One-Hit Wonders in Pop Punk That Ignited the 2000s Scene|magazine=[[American Songwriter]]|author=Em Casalena|date=November 6, 2024|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref> Their sound was classified as "new school power pop" and their debut studio album, ''[[Greetings from Imrie House]]'' debuted at number 15 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], marking it as the highest charting debut by a new rock band in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sunjournal.com/2005/09/09/click-five-record-bull-moose/|title=Click Five to record at Bull Moose|website=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)|Sun Journal]]|date=September 9, 2005|access-date=April 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Click Five's Debut Album "Greetings From Imrie House" Debuts at #15 on the Billboard Top 200
 |url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/click-fives-debut-album-greetings-from-imrie-house-debuts-15-on-billboard-top-200-666184.htm|location=New York |publisher=[[Marketwired]] |date= August 24, 2005|access-date=April 20, 2025|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213090914/http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/click-fives-debut-album-greetings-from-imrie-house-debuts-15-on-billboard-top-200-666184.htm|archivedate=February 13, 2015}}</ref>

In 1998, [[International Pop Overthrow]] (IPO)—named after the album of the same name by Material Issue—began holding a yearly festival for power pop bands. Originally taking place in [[Los Angeles]], the festival expanded to several locations over the years, including Canada and [[Liverpool]], England (the latter event included performances at the [[Cavern Club]]).{{sfn|Borack|2007|p=32}} [[Paul Collins (musician)|Paul Collins]] of [[The Beat (American band)|the Beat]] and [[the Nerves]] hosted the Power Pop-A-Licious music festival in 2011 and 2013, featuring a mixture of classic and rising bands with an emphasis on power pop, punk rock, garage and roots rock. The concerts were held at [[Asbury Lanes]] in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and the [[Cake Shop NYC|Cake Shop]] in New York City. [[Paul Collins (musician)|Paul Collins]] and his group [[The Beat (American band)|the Beat]] headlined the two-day events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/dc/2011/04/first-annual-power-pop-a-licious-music-fest-kicks-off-in-asbury-park-nj/ |title=First Annual POWER POP-A-LICIOUS! Music Fest Kicks Off in Asbury Park, NJ |last=Sugrim |first=Angie |date=April 12, 2011 |website=thevinyldistrict.com |access-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-date=January 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063534/http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/dc/2011/04/first-annual-power-pop-a-licious-music-fest-kicks-off-in-asbury-park-nj/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 2010s, mainstream pop acts such as the British-Irish boy band [[One Direction]] and the Australian pop rock band [[5 Seconds of Summer]] brought elements of power pop to a wider audience. One Direction's early releases, ''[[Up All Night (One Direction album) | Up All Night]]'' (2011) and ''[[Take Me Home (One Direction album) | Take Me Home]]'' (2012), were characterized by catchy melodies, prominent guitar riffs and energetic arrangements — traits commonly associated with power pop. Their 2011 debut single, "[[What Makes You Beautiful]]," debuted at number one on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100,<ref>{{cite web |title=One Direction Chart History – Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/one-direction/chart-history/hsi/ |website=Billboard |access-date=May 27, 2025}}</ref> while "[[One Thing (One Direction song) | One Thing]]", "[[Live While We're Young]]" and "[[Kiss You (One Direction song) | Kiss You]]", attained top-ten positions in the UK and several other countries, with "Live While We're Young" debuting at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Direction’s ‘Live While We’re Young’ Makes Hot 100 History |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/one-direction-live-while-were-young-hot-100-history-474848/ |website=Billboard |access-date=May 27, 2025}}</ref> In 2013, "[[Best Song Ever]]" later peaked at number two in the UK and US, upon its release, their highest-charting single in the United States to date.

[[5 Seconds of Summer]] achieved commercial success with their 2014 single "[[She Looks So Perfect]]", which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100,<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Seconds of Summer Chart History – Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/5-seconds-of-summer/chart-history/hsi/ |website=Billboard |access-date=May 27, 2025}}</ref> and reached number 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Their self-titled debut album ''5 Seconds of Summer'' debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 259,000 copies in its first week in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Seconds Of Summer Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/5-seconds-of-summer-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200/ |website=Billboard |access-date=May 27, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Paisley Underground]]
* [[Britpop]]
* [[List of power pop artists and songs]]
* [[List of power pop albums]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book |last=Borack |first=John M. |author-link=John M. Borack|title=Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqtGTJgE4rEC |year=2007 |publisher=[[Not Lame Recordings]] |isbn=978-0979771408 }}
* {{cite book |last=Cateforis |first=Theo |date=2011 |title=Are We Not New Wave: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s |publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |isbn=978-0-472-03470-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MVrM3zKrHQC|doi=10.3998/mpub.152565}}

== Suggested reading ==
* {{cite web|last=Rockwell|first=John|author-link=John Rockwell|title=Disco vs. Rock and Industry Ills Made the Year Dramatic|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 30, 1979|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/30/archives/pop-music-view-disco-vs-rock-and-industry-ills-made-the-year.html|access-date=September 29, 2018|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|title=Power Pop: Conversations with the Power Pop Elite|date=1997|first1=Ken|last1=Sharp|first2=Doug|last2=Sulpy|ref=none}}

==Suggested listening==
* ''DIY: Come Out and Play'' - American Power Pop I (1975-78) ([[Rhino Records]], compilation CD, 1993)
* ''DIY: Shake It Up!'' - American Power Pop II (1978-80) (Rhino Records, compilation CD, 1993)
* ''Girls Go Power Pop'' ([[Big Beat Records (British record label)|Big Beat Records]], compilation CD, 2020)
* ''Harmony in My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave'' ([[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]], 3XCD compilation, 2018)
* ''Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the '70s'' (Rhino Records, compilation CD, 1997)
* ''Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the '80s'' (Rhino Records, compilation CD, 1997)
* ''Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the '90s'' (Rhino Records, compilation CD, 1997)
* ''Power Pop Anthems'' ([[Virgin]], 2XCD compilation, 2002)

{{Pop rock}}
{{Rock music}}
{{Pop music}}

[[Category:Power pop| ]]
[[Category:20th-century music genres]]
[[Category:1960s in music]]
[[Category:1970s in music]]
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[[Category:British styles of music]]
[[Category:American styles of music]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:Pop music genres]]
[[Category:1960s neologisms]]
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[[Category:Pop rock]]