The trio's 1995 debut, Cheshire Cat, and 1997 commercial breakthrough Dude Ranch illustrate a fondness for breakneck-speed punk and sharply honed melodies, but blink-182 connected with bigger audiences in the later '90s because their rebellion offered both comic relief-see the nudity-heavy video for 'What's My Age Again?,' from 1999's Enema of the State-and seriousness, tackling the trauma of suicide ('Adam's Song') and divorce ('Stay Together for the Kids'). The San Diego band, which coalesced in the early '90s around co-frontmen Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus, blend upbeat tempos, catchy hooks, and bawdy humor with lyrics that understand the pain of adolescence-and life in general.
Pop-punk godfathers blink-182 embody why the genre appeals to millions.
