Pop-Punk Rap

tagStarted 2018Peak 2020-2022Last big hit 2023

Located in 2 routes

Hip-Hop / Rap → Pop / Melodic / R&B Rap Hip-Hop / Rap → Rock / Metal / Punk Rap

Rap energy welded to 2000s pop-punk: power chords, palm-muted guitars, and live-band drums under bratty, sung-shouted melodic vocals about heartbreak and angst. Choruses are huge, hook-driven, and built for catharsis; verses keep a rapper's cadence and Auto-Tuned bite. The Warped Tour revival channeled through TikTok and trap, loud and lovesick.

History

Emerging from emo rap's guitar roots, the lane exploded in 2020 when Machine Gun Kelly's Tickets to My Downfall - produced with blink-182's Travis Barker - topped the charts. iann dior, jxdn and others followed, with Barker the connective producer, sparking a brief but intense pop-punk revival that crossed rap audiences into rock radio.

Defining artists

Machine Gun KellySpotify YouTube
iann diorSpotify YouTube
jxdnSpotify YouTube
KennyHooplaSpotify YouTube
Trippie ReddSpotify YouTube
blackbearSpotify YouTube

Essential listening

my ex's best friend — Machine Gun Kelly feat. blackbearSpotify YouTube
Mood — 24kGoldn feat. iann diorSpotify YouTube
Angels & Demons — jxdnSpotify YouTube
bloody valentine — Machine Gun KellySpotify YouTube
how can i love someone else? — iann diorSpotify YouTube
estella// — KennyHooplaSpotify YouTube

← Explore Hip-Hop / Rap

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickets_to_My_Downfall
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/pop-punk-revival-2020-machine-gun-kelly/
https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/pop-punk-revival-explained/