When two genres collide and make perfect sense on your screen.
The late 90's and 2000's were a neat time to be a punk kid because you could watch crappy movies about teens doing stupid things, all while hearing some of the bands you liked.
Not only did we have incredibly awkward movies about kids dealing with high school, but we had Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and the magnificent soundtrack it provided for little punk's ears. I still listen to the bands featured in that game and some I had never heard before until that game came out. There's also a new version of the game in the works, and bands like MxPx have hopped on board to blast their tunes on the soundtrack.
Although, I'm not going to talk about that... I'm here to tell you about the history of pop-punk bands showing up in random teen movies. It was a thing back then. Personally, I loved it and would rewind the VHS tape over and over again so I can watch their performances or one-liners in the films.
Here's some of the strangest appearances by pop-punk bands in teen movies (in chronological order to avoid any favoring).
BLINK-182 in AMERICAN PIE (1999)
The band's songs "Mutt" and "Everytime I Look For You" were featured in the series' soundtrack, but Blink-182 also appeared in the first American Pie movie. It's one of the most iconic scenes, too. The band ends up watching the main dude strip on a webcam while they are at band practice. There's a monkey there for some reason as well.
THE OFFSPRING in IDLE HANDS (1999)
This is one of my favorites because it's sort of like a double whammy of punk music. In cult horror-comedy Idle Hands, The Offspring covers "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones. All of this happens before vocalist Dexter Holland has his scalp ripped clean off his head by a possessed hand, of course.
Also, Tom Delonge from Blink-182 (at the time) makes a brief appearance in the film.
GOOD CHARLOTTE in NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE (2001)
At a typical prom, you've got a crappy wedding DJ spinning music that he or she figures teenagers enjoy, but that's not the case in Not Another Teen Movie. Good Charlotte performed live during the prom scene and busted out some killer dance tunes.
BOWLING FOR SOUP in CROSSROADS (2002)
Wait, Britney Spears and a pop-punk band?! Blasphemy! Actually, it was kind of hard to find the scenes of the band playing in this movie, but you can see them performing "Greatest Day." In an interview, the lead singer said, "I was in that movie for about a second and a half... and the other guys ended up getting cut from the movie!"
SIMPLE PLAN in NEW YORK MINUTE (2004)
It's not common that the band appearing in a film is an important role in the plot, but in this case Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's movie "New York Minute" wouldn't exist without them. Simple Plan is filming a video for the track "Vacation" when Mary-Kate tries her best to get her demo tape to the band. Oh, she's also being chased by an officer.
FALL OUT BOY in SEX DRIVE (2008)
Fall Out Boy was kind of a late addition to the pop-punk and teen movie marriage. The band plays a set at an Amish barn party. They perform the tune "Fame < Infamy" and then even treat the audience with an acoustic rendition of a "Grand Theft Autumn."
HONORABLE MENTIONS... (not necessarily pop-punk)
SUGAR RAY in SCOOBY DOO (2002)
I know. They're not really pop-punk but he had a crapload of bleach in his hair. Also, I just wanted to mention this movie because one of my favorite bands, MxPx, is on the soundtrack, performing the most important song of the movie — "Scooby Doo, Where Are you?"
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES in CLUELESS (1994)
Everyone remembers this clip, right?! The ska legends behind "The Impression That I Get" starred in the wonderful film featuring Alicia Silverstone at a school dance party (I'm seeing a trend here). I included them because pop-punk and ska went hand in hand on mixtapes back in the day.
SAVE FERRIS in 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)
Speaking of ska bands and dance scenes, Save Ferris from Orange County, California performs at the prom in the film. The scene is at the end of the movie and the lead singer of Save Ferris, Monique Powell, sings "Cruel to be Kind" alongside Letters to Cleo front-woman Kay Hanley.
Tyson Ritter from ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS in THE HOUSE BUNNY (2007)
Okay, sure. The band isn't in the movie, but the dude who sings all of the songs is a pretty important role in The House Bunny. Also, it's a hilarious movie featuring an oddball cast.
I believe that's it. Let me know in the comments if I'm missing anything!
