[Western Music] Start Here First! A Roundup of Classic, Popular Power Pop Songs

Suddenly, but what bands or sounds come to mind for you when you hear the genre “power pop”? Those who are well-versed might immediately name Badfinger and Raspberries—the originators of power pop—as well as bands from the punk and new wave era onward.

However, interpretations vary from person to person, so many may be wondering, “Which ones actually count as power pop?” Its roots trace back to 1960s bands like The Beatles and The Who, but in this article we introduce a curated selection of classic tracks—spanning from the genre’s heyday in the 1970s through the ’90s and 2000s—that we especially recommend for newcomers to power pop.