Blink-182[a] is an Americanrock band formed inPoway, California, in 1992. Their current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalistMark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalistTom DeLonge, and drummerTravis Barker. Though their sound has diversified throughout their career, their musical style, described aspop-punk, blends catchypop melodies with fast-pacedpunk rock. Their lyrics primarily focus on relationships, adolescent frustration, and maturity—or lack thereof. The group emerged from a suburban,Southern California skate punk scene and first gained notoriety for high-energy live shows and irreverent humor.
The band's debut studio album,Cheshire Cat, was released in 1995. Their second studio album,Dude Ranch, came out in 1997. After years of independent recording and touring, including stints on theWarped Tour, the group signed toMCA Records. Their third and fourth albums—Enema of the State (1999) andTake Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)—reached their furthest commercial success while their singles, "All the Small Things", "Dammit" and "What's My Age Again?" becamehit songs andMTV staples. Later efforts, includingan untitled album (2003),Neighborhoods (2011), and anEPDogs Eating Dogs (2012), marked stylistic shifts. Hoppus is the only member to remain in the band throughout its entire history. DeLonge left the group twice, both times a decade apart, before returning once more. Founding drummerScott Raynor recorded and toured with the group before being dismissed in 1998, thereafter being replaced by Barker. During DeLonge's absence from 2015 to 2022, the band includedAlkaline Trio singer and guitaristMatt Skiba, with whom they recorded two albums,California (2016), andNine (2019), and toured in support of both. Their ninth album,One More Time..., was released on October 20, 2023.[3]
Blink-182's straightforward approach and simple arrangements, which helped initiate pop-punk's second mainstream rise, made them popular among generations of audiences. Worldwide, the group has sold 50 million albums[4] and moved 15.3 million copies in the U.S.[5]
Blink-182 was formed in August 1992 inPoway, California, a northernsuburb ofSan Diego County. GuitaristTom DeLonge was expelled fromPoway High School for being drunk at a basketball game and was forced to attend another school,Rancho Bernardo High School, for one semester. There, he performed at a Battle of the Bands competition, where he was introduced to drummerScott Raynor.[6][7] He also befriended Kerry Key, who was also interested in punk rock music. Key was dating Anne Hoppus, sister of bassistMark Hoppus, who had recently moved fromRidgecrest, California, to work at arecord store and attend college. Both Hoppus and DeLonge grew up listening to punk rock music, with both particularly enamoured by bands likeScreeching Weasel andthe Descendents.[8][9]Southern California had a large punk population in the early 1990s, aided by an active surfing, skating, and snowboarding scene.[10] In contrast toEast Coast punk music, theWest Coast wave of groups typically introduced more melodic aspects.[10] "New York is gloomy, dark and cold. It makes different music. The Californianmiddle-class suburbs have nothing to be that bummed about," said DeLonge.[10]
"We had a lot of fuckin' fun. We were out all night skateboarding. We were out throwing food and drinks at security guards who were chasing us through malls, skateboarding at four in the morning, eating doughnuts at places making hot doughnuts near the beach, breaking into schools and finding skate spots in dark schools or slaloming down parking garages naked and shit in downtown San Diego."
—Tom DeLonge in 2013, reflecting on the band's foundation[11]
Anne introduced her brother to DeLonge on August 2, 1992.[12] The pair instantly connected and played for hours in DeLonge's garage, exchanging lyrics and co-writing songs—one of which became fan favorite "Carousel".[12] Hoppus, hoping to impress DeLonge, fell from a lamppost in front of DeLonge's home and cracked his ankles, putting him on crutches for three weeks.[13] The trio began to practice together in Raynor's bedroom, spending time writing music, seeing movies and punk concerts, and playing practical jokes.[14] The trio first operated under a variety of names, including Duck Tape[15] and Figure 8, until DeLonge rechristened the band "Blink".[16] Hoppus' girlfriend of the time was annoyed by his constant attention to the band, and demanded he make a choice between the band and her, which resulted in Hoppus leaving the band not long after its formation.[17] Shortly thereafter, DeLonge and Raynor borrowed afour-track recorder from friend and collaborator Cam Jones and were preparing to record ademo tape, with Jones on bass.[16] Hoppus promptly broke up with his girlfriend and returned to the band.[17]Flyswatter—a combination of original songs and punk covers—was recorded in Raynor's bedroom in May 1993.[18]
blink-182 performing in 1993
The band began booking shows, and were on stage nearly every weekend, even atElks Lodges andYMCA centres.[19] DeLonge constantly called clubs in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as local high schools, convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strongantidrug message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.[19] San Diego at this time was "hardly a hotbed of [musical] activity", according to journalist Joe Shooman and the band's popularity grew as did punk rock concurrently in the mainstream.[18] They quickly became part of a circuit that also included bands such asTen Foot Pole andUnwritten Law, and Blink soon found its way onto the bill as the opening band for acts performing atSoma, a local all-ages venue. "The biggest dreams we ever had when we started was to [headline] a show at Soma", Hoppus said later.[20] Meanwhile, Hoppus' manager at the record store, Patrick Secor, fronted the group money to properly record another demo at a local studio Doubletime.[21] The result wasBuddha (1994), which the members of the band viewed as the band's first legitimate release.[22][21] That year, however, Raynor's family relocated toReno, Nevada, and he was briefly replaced by musician Mike Krull.[23] The band saved money and began flying Raynor out to shows, and he eventually moved back and in with Hoppus in mid-1995. During that time, the band would record its first album, first music video, and develop a larger following.[24]
The band became a mainstay at local all-ages venueSoma during their early years.[22]
The heart of the local independent music scene wasCargo Records, which offered to sign the band on a "trial basis", with help fromO, guitarist for local punk bandFluf, and Brahm Goodis, a friend of the band whose father was president of the label.[25] Hoppus was the only member to sign the contract, as DeLonge was at work at the time and Raynor was still aminor.[26] The band recorded their debut album—Cheshire Cat, released in February 1995—in three days atWestbeach Recorders inLos Angeles, fueled by both new songs and re-recordings of songs from previous demos.[27] "M+M's", the band's first single, garnered local radio airplay from91X, and Cargo offered the band a small budget to film a music video for it.[28] Meanwhile, the record also drew the attention of Irish bandBlink. Unwilling to engage in a legal battle, the band agreed to change their name.[29] Cargo gave the band a week, but the trio put off the decision for more than two afterward. Eventually, Cargo called the trio, demanding that they "change the name or [we'll] change it for you", after which the band decided on a random number, 182.[30][31]
The band soon hired a manager, Rick DeVoe, who had worked with larger bands such asNOFX,Pennywise andthe Offspring.[29] In addition, the group drew the attention of Rick and Jean Bonde of the Tahoe booking agency, who were responsible for "spreading the name of the band far and wide".[29][32] In late 1995, the trio embarked on their first national tour, promoting the surf videoGood Times with Unwritten Law,Sprung Monkey and7 Seconds.Good Times was directed by filmmakerTaylor Steele, who was a friend of DeVoe. In preparation for the trek, the band members purchased their own tour van, which they nicknamed theMillennium Falcon.[33] TheGood Times tour extended outside the States with a leg inAustralia; the trio were financially unable to go, but Pennywise's members paid for their plane tickets.[34]Fletcher Dragge, guitarist of Pennywise, believed in the band strongly. He demanded thatKevin Lyman, founder of the traveling rock-basedWarped Tour, sign the band for its 1996 iteration, predicting they would become "gigantic".[35] That year, the band toured heavily, with several domestic shows on and off the Warped Tour, trips to Canada and Japan, and more Australian dates. Australia was particularly receptive to the band and their humorous stage antics, which gained the band a reputation, but also made them ostracized and considered a joke.[36][37]
By March 1996, the trio began to accumulate a genuine buzz among major labels, resulting in a bidding war betweenInterscope,MCA andEpitaph.[38] MCA promised the group complete artistic freedom and ultimately signed the band,[39] but Raynor held a great affinity for Epitaph and began to feel half-invested in the band when they chose MCA.[40] The group, discouraged by Cargo's lack of distribution and faith in the group, held no qualms about signing to a major label but were fiercely criticized in the punk community.[38][41][42] After nonstop touring, the trio began recording their follow-up LP,Dude Ranch, over the period of a month in late 1996 with producerMark Trombino.[43] The record was released the following June, and the band headed out on the 1997 Warped Tour. "Dammit", the album's second single, received heavy airplay on modern rock stations.[44]Dude Ranch shippedgold by 1998, but an exhaustive touring schedule brought tensions among the trio.[44] Raynor had been drinking heavily to offset personal issues, and he was fired by DeLonge and Hoppus in mid-1998 despite agreeing to attend rehab and quit drinking.[45][46]Travis Barker, drummer for tour-matethe Aquabats, filled in for Raynor, learning the 20-song setlist in 45 minutes before the first show.[47] By July, he joined the band full-time[46] and later that year, the band entered the studio with producerJerry Finn to begin work on their third album.[37]
Mainstream breakthrough and continued success (1999–2004)
At the onset of the millennium, the band became one of the biggest international rock acts with the release of their third album, the fast-paced, melodicEnema of the State (1999).[37] It became an enormous worldwide success, moving over fifteen million copies.[49] Singles "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song" became radio staples, with theirmusic videos and relationship withMTV cementing their stardom.[31][50][51] It marked the beginning of their friendship with producer Jerry Finn, a key architect of their "polished" pop-punk rhythm; according to journalist James Montgomery, writing forMTV News, the veteran engineer "served as an invaluable member of the Blink team: part adviser, part impartial observer, he helped smooth out tensions and hone theirmultiplatinum sound."[52] This style and sound made for an extensive impact on pop punk, igniting a new wave of the genre.[53]
It became a transitionary time for the group, adjusting to larger venues than before, includingamphitheaters,arenas, andstadiums. At the beginning of the album's promotional cycle, the trio were driving from show to show in a van with a trailer attached for merchandise and equipment;[54] by its end, they were flying onprivate jets.[55] Hoppus recalled that "we had gone from playing small clubs and sleeping on people's floors to headlining amphitheaters and staying infive-starhotels."[56] In the public eye, Blink became known for their juvenile antics, including running around nude;[57] the band made acameo appearance in the similarly bawdy comedyAmerican Pie (1999).[58] This goofy branding, encompassing video documentaries and merchandise, "made fans feel like members of their extended social circle," according to music criticKelefa Sanneh.[59] While grateful for their success—which the trio parlayed into various business ventures, likeFamous Stars and Straps,Atticus Clothing andMacbeth Footwear[60]—they gradually became unhappy with their public image. In one instance, the European arm of UMG had taken photos shot lampooningboy bands and distributed them at face value, making their basis for parody appear thin.[61]
In response, a conscious effort was made to make the trio appear more authentic with their next album—the comically titledTake Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001). It became the first punk rock album to reach number one in the U.S.,[62] and spawned the singles "The Rock Show", "Stay Together for the Kids" and "First Date".[36] The band supported the LP with thePop Disaster Tour, a series of co-headlining dates withGreen Day.[63] The relentless pace began to wear on the group: they felt rushed into making a follow-up album, with record executives reportedly penalizing the group if they did not "make their quarterly revenue statements."[64] Meanwhile, with time off from touring, DeLonge felt a desire to broaden his musical palette.[8][65] He channelled his chronic back pain and resulting frustration intoBox Car Racer (2002), a project emulatingpost-hardcore influences.[66][67] Finn naturally returned to produce, and DeLonge invited Barker to record drums—making Hoppus the odd man out. It marked a major rift in their friendship: while DeLonge claimed he was not intentionally omitted, Hoppus nonetheless felt betrayed.[68] WithA&R representatives from MCA eager to market a new band by the guitarist,[69] Box Car Racer quickly evolved into a full-fledged side project, launching two national tours throughout 2002.[70] Barker also extended his love ofhip-hop into therap rock outfitTransplants, a collaboration withRancid'sTim Armstrong.[37]
The band regrouped in 2003 to record its fifth studio album, infusingexperimentalist elements into its usual pop-punk sound, inspired by lifestyle changes: all three band members became fathers before the album was released. The newuntitled album—its front cover emblazoned with a "smiley face" logo[71]—was released in November 2003 throughGeffen Records, which absorbed sister label MCA earlier that year.[72] Critics generally complimented the new, moreemo direction[73][74] taken for the album and its lead singles "Feeling This" and "I Miss You" were well received.[75] The global touring schedule, which saw the band travel toJapan andAustralia, also found the three performing for troops stationed in thePersian Gulf during the first year of theIraq War.[76][77] The band came to regard this period as a "huge turning point" in their career, marking a change in the way they write and record music, as well as view themselves.[78] As the aughts wore on however, unresolved tensions within the trio—stemming from the gruelling schedule, Box Car Racer, and DeLonge's desire to spend more time with his family—started to become evident.[79]
Hiatus, side projects, and Barker's plane crash (2005–2008)
In February 2005, a press statement announced the band's "indefinite hiatus";[80] the band had broken up after members' arguments regarding their future and recording process. DeLonge felt increasingly conflicted both about his creative freedom within the group and the toll touring was taking on his family life.[81] He expressed his desire to take a half-year respite from touring; Hoppus and Barker felt that was overly long.[82] Rehearsals for a benefit concert grew contentious, rooted in the trio's increasing bitterness toward one another;[83] DeLonge considered his bandmates' priorities incompatible, coming to the conclusion that they had simply grown apart.[79] Instead, DeLonge foundedAngels & Airwaves, both a band and "multimedia project" composed of albums, films, and interactive services.[84] Hoppus and Barker madeone album with their next outfit,+44.[85] Barker remained particularly famous; his rocky relationship with formerMiss USAShanna Moakler, chronicled in his MTVreality seriesMeet the Barkers, made themtabloid favorites.[86]
The band members did not speak from their breakup until 2008.[87] That August, former producer and mentor Jerry Finn suffered acerebral hemorrhage and died.[88] The following month, Barker and collaboratorAdam Goldstein were involved in aplane crash that killed four people, leaving them the only two survivors.[89] Barker sustained second and third degree burns and developedpost-traumatic stress disorder, and the accident resulted in sixteen surgeries and multipleblood transfusions.[90] Goldstein's injuries were less severe, but less than a year later, he died from a drug overdose.[91] Barker's brush with death prompted him, DeLonge and Hoppus to meet that October, laying the grounds for the band's reunion.[92] The three opened up, discussing the events of the hiatus and their break-up, and DeLonge was the first to approach the subject of reuniting.[92] Hoppus remembered: "I remember [Tom] said, 'So, what do you guys think? Where are your heads at?' And I said, 'I think we should continue with what we've been doing for the past 17 years. I think we should get back on the road and back in the studio and do what we love doing.'"[93][94]
The first live performance of the group's reformation in 2009
After five years apart, the band appeared on stage together as presenters at the February2009 Grammy Awards, and announced their reunion.[95] The trio embarked on a successfulreunion tour of North America from July to October 2009,[91] with a European trek following from August to September 2010.[96] Barker, suffering from afear of flying after his accident, travelled via bus domestically and in Canada, and by anocean liner for overseas dates.[97] The recording process forNeighborhoods (2011), the band's sixth studio album, was stalled by its studio autonomy, tours, managers, and personal projects. DeLonge recorded at his studio inSan Diego while Hoppus and Barker recorded in Los Angeles—an extension of their strained communication.[8][98] The self-produced album—their first without Jerry Finn sinceEnema of the State[52]—was released in September 2011 and peaked at number two on theBillboard 200;[99] its singles, "Up All Night" and "After Midnight", only attracted modest chart success. Pop punk was in a period of diminished commercial relevance,[100] and labelInterscope—now their home after a series of corporate mergers[101]—was reportedly disappointed with album sales.[102]
Blink-182 performing in 2011
The band continued to tour in the early 2010s, "despite growing evidence of remaining friction" between the members, according toAllMusic biographer John Bush.[1] They headlined the10th Annual Honda Civic Tour in North America in 2011 withMy Chemical Romance,[103] and launched a20th Anniversary Tour the next year. For that tour, the band played in Europe twice,[104] North America,[105] and Australia; drummerBrooks Wackerman filled-in for Barker, as he was not yet ready to fly.[106] Additionally, the trio pursued a tenth anniversary celebration of the untitled album with a series of shows,[107] and played theReading and Leeds Festivals; it was the band's fourth appearance at the festival and second headlining slot.[108] The band also parted ways with long-time label UMG,[101]self-releasing their next project,Dogs Eating Dogs, anEP.[109] DeLonge's final performance with the group was at the Wine Amplified Festival inLas Vegas, Nevada, on October 11, 2014.[110]
This initial reunion of the band has been characterized as dysfunctional by both Barker and DeLonge.[111][112] Hoppus commented on this era of the band in a later interview: "Everything was always very contentious. There was always just a strange vibe. [...] I knew there was something wrong."[112] In his memoir,Can I Say, Barker claims DeLonge's behavior on tour was "introverted" until "money started coming in," after which "he'd get excited about Blink." He states DeLonge abruptly quit sometime in mid-2014, and re-joined the following day.[113]
DeLonge's second exit and Matt Skiba era (2015–2021)
The group planned to begin writing their seventh album in January 2015,[114] which had continually seen delays.[115] "I'd do interviews and I just felt awful for fans because they were promised albums for years and we couldn't do it," Barker later said.[112] A record deal with independent serviceBMG was finalized[112] and sessions were booked before DeLonge's manager informed the band he intended to spend more time on "non-musical activities" and indefinitely depart from the group.[116] In his own statement, DeLonge remarked that he "Never planned on quitting, [I] just find it hard as hell to commit."[117] For the rest of the 2010s, DeLonge focused on his companyTo the Stars... Academy of Arts & Sciences full-time, devoted to investigatingUFOs.[118]
Hoppus and Barker decided to continue on without DeLonge, and enlistedAlkaline Trio vocalist/guitaristMatt Skiba to "fill in" for three shows in March 2015.[119] Hoppus and Skiba had been wanting to work together musically for several years, so he was the first and only person considered for the role.[120] After legal battles with DeLonge were worked out, Skiba joined Blink-182 as an official member and began preparations for new music.[121] The resulting album,California, was produced byJohn Feldmann, the group's first new producer since long-time collaborator Jerry Finn.[122] Upon its July 2016 release though BMG,California became the band's second number-one album on theBillboard 200, and first in 15 years;[123] it also topped the charts for the first time in the United Kingdom.[124] Its lead single, "Bored to Death", became their biggest hit in years, marking their third domestic chart-topper on theAlternative Songs chart.[125] Both the single and album became their first gold-certified releases in over a decade, with the LP earning the band their firstGrammy Award nomination.[126] The band supported the album with alarge headlining tour across North America between July and October 2016,[127] and a European leg in June and July 2017.[128] A double-disc deluxe edition ofCalifornia was issued in 2017.[129][130]
During these years, the band was active in collaborating with a variety of outside artists, sometimes without Skiba's involvement; the group jointly issued singles withXXXTentacion,[131]Lil Wayne,[132]Goody Grace,[133]Steve Aoki,[134]Powfu,[135]Oliver Tree,[136] andthe Chainsmokers.[137] The trio moved back to a major label,Columbia, for their eighth studio effort,Nine (2019).[138] WhileNine builds upon their partnership with Feldmann, it also utilizes additional outside producers and songwriters.[139] Musically, the LP augments the band's pop punk sound with hip hop-inspired programming, as well as electronics.[140] The promotional cycle forNINE was stunted by the onset of the globalCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020; a planned tour withthe Used was shelved, with live concerts considered unsafe. The band responded with the release of "Quarantine", though the track–credited only to Barker, Hoppus, and other songwriters–raised questions about Skiba's continued involvement in the band.[141] A partially-completed EP did not see release,[142] and the band's last performance with Skiba, a pre-pandemic gig atiHeartRadio's 2020 ALTer EGO, took place in Los Angeles on January 18, 2020.[143]
Hoppus' cancer battle and DeLonge's second return (2022–present)
On June 23, 2021, Hoppus confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had been receiving treatment in secret for the last three months.[144] After his cancer diagnosis, it was reported by sources that Hoppus had met with DeLonge and Barker together at his home to discuss old problems, personal issues, and Hoppus' cancer diagnosis.[145] Hoppus was declared cancer-free later that year, but would continuescreening every six months.[146]
News of DeLonge's return to the band had been speculated about since his departure, but came to their peak in October 2022, when the band began posting cryptic messages on their social media accounts and deleted all posts made prior to that point. DeLonge's official return was announced on October 11, 2022, alongside a world tour for the next two years, and that they were working on a new album.[147] Following his return, DeLonge messaged Skiba on Instagram to thank him for his time with the band, and later shared the post publicly on his account.[148] Skiba had known an announcement was going to happen, but was unaware that it was regarding DeLonge's return. In the months prior, he had also begun to question his status in the band when a fan asked him if he was still a part of recording.[149] When the announcement was made though, he congratulated the other members, and thanked fans for his time with the band.[150]
The announcement of DeLonge's return was also accompanied by a new single, "Edging" later that week.[151] The song performed well in the US, becoming their fourth and longest-running number one hit onBillboard'sAlternative Airplay chart, and their highest-charting single on theHot 100 in eighteen years.[152] The following year, the band's ninth studio album,One More Time..., was released on October 20, 2023. The album proved successful both commercially and critically, becoming their third number-one album on theBillboard 200 in the U.S.,[153] and critics celebrating the band's back-to-basics approach. Many of the singles and other songs also saw similar success, such as thetitle track becoming the band's longest-running number one single on the Alternative Airplay chart domestically.[154][155] A year later, the band released a deluxe edition of the album calledOne More Time... Part-2 on September 6, 2024.[156]
In August 2024, DeLonge stated that while they intended to take a break once the tour concluded, the band will "be the priority forever [...] Honestly, I think this is a whole new beginning for the band. With what we’re planning on doing, who we’ve become, and how we’re doing it now I think it’s really, really exciting."[157]
Blink-182 were considered more radio-friendly than their predecessors.Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times writes that the band "[took] punk's already playful core and [gave] it a shiny, accessible polish."[36] Luke Lewis, writing forTotal Guitar in 2003, summarized it aptly: "They wrote catchy songs, radio stations played them."[185] The band's biggest hit, "All the Small Things", was written partially because DeLonge figured the label might want a song for radio. "It was obvious from the beginning it would fit that format," he told Lewis. "There's nothing wrong with that. We don't want obstacles between us and our audience."[185] DeLonge commented on the band's mainstream appeal in an interview in 2014:
Punk rock was becoming polished.NOFX [was] a punk band we grew up listening to, and they had a record calledPunk in Drublic, and it was awesome. It was game-changing; it soundedgood. We wanted to take it to the next level. [...] There had never been a pop punk band that sounded likenursery rhymes onsteroids, on the mainstream level at least. And that's what I used to have daydreams of. I used to think the radio could use that, could use a band that was really powerful and catchy and fast and youthful and angsty.[179]
Tom DeLonge's guitar style, which tradessolos forriffs,[185] is often down-stroked and power chord heavy, with large amounts ofpalm muting. His later guitar work heavily delves intoeffects,[185] exploring ambience anddelay prominently.[186] Many Blink songs centre on theI–V–vi–IV progression.[187] As a bassist, Hoppus is known for his well-defined midrange tone. Since the band is a trio, he approaches his role as a combination of being arhythm guitarist and bassist.[188] Early albums, such asCheshire Cat (1995) andDude Ranch (1997), were recorded with original drummer Scott Raynor, and consist of fast-paced,double-time songs. Drummer Travis Barker diversified the band's sound rhythmically when he joined in 1998. Throughout their discography, Barker's drumming references myriad musical genres, includingAfro-Cuban music,[189]bossa nova,[190]reggae,[191] andhip hop.[62] Barker grew up playing inmarching band, and it still influences his drum fills and kit setup.[192]
Common lyrical themes for the band involve relationships,[31]suburbia,[193] toilet humor,[62] and teen angst.[194] Hoppus and DeLonge, and later Skiba, split songwriting duty, and much of their lyrics tend towardautobiography.[195] According to Nitsuh Abebe, ofNew York, the band's biggest recurring topic ismaturity—"more specifically, their lack of it, their attitude toward their lack of it, or their eventual wide-eyed exploration of it".[196] One of the band's biggest singles, "What's My Age Again?", specifically addresses thePeter Pan syndrome,[197] while "Dammit", the band's first mainstream hit single, contains the hook "Well, I guess this is growing up."[198] Albums such asTake Off Your Pants and Jacket near-exclusively deal in toilet humor and teen-cantered lyrics, leadingRolling Stone to dub it a concept album chronicling adolescence.[199] For Hoppus, these themes were not exclusively adolescent: "The things that happen to you inhigh school are the same things that happen your entire life. You can fall in love at sixty; you can get rejected at eighty."[200] Mid-career albums, such asNeighborhoods (2011), explore darker territory, such as depression and loss.[201] More recent efforts, likeCalifornia (2016), aim for universality[194] but also focus on miscommunication and loss of identity.[202]
Over the band's career, the public image of Blink-182 has evolved with their sound. Whereas other punk acts emerged from sometimes dangerous urban environments, Blink-182 professed a love for their upbringing in the suburbs—"beige little boxes in a row", Hoppus extolled in one song.[203] "They weren't selling out; they were buying in," observedPitchfork critic Jeremy Gordon. "Part of that was Hoppus and Delonge's exurbanSoCal upbringing, which encouraged a sunny prankishness at odds with urban despair."[204] The band attracted criticism for their simplified arrangements and clean sound. British publicationNME was particularly critical, with reviewer Steven Wells comparing them to "that sanitized, castrated, shrink-wrapped 'new wave' crap that the major US record companies pumped out circa 1981 in their belated attempt to jump on the 'punk' bandwagon."[205] A 2001Federal Trade Commission report condemned theentertainment industry for marketing lewd lyrics to American youth, specifically naming Blink-182 as among the most explicit acts.[206][207] Their goofy public image and juvenilia also found detractors. Original punk veterans likeJohn Lydon dismissed them as a "comedy act",[208][209] and forebears like Green Day openly critiqued their stage presence.[210] NOFX, progenitors of this clownish camaraderie, felt they had copied their act;Fat Mike, its frontman, was known to jokingly sing "fuck fans of Blink-182" at shows.[59]
The band's conventional appeal, as well as partnerships with MTV,boardsport companies, and clothing brands, led to accusations that they were betraying the independent spirit of punk rock.[211] The band were considered sellouts from the underground punk scene as early as 1996, when they first partnered with music conglomerate UMG. A morefar-left segment of the scene[103] decried their fixation on female fansflashing them at concerts, in addition to lyrics considered sexist or misogynistic.[212] Some writers have called their stage banter—juvenile, occasionally homophobic or sexist forshock value—an accurate reflection ofmillennial male conversation in its era.[213] Others have considered them among the least offensive of the aughts pop-punk wave and its common disdain for women. "Many of Blink's best songs endure because they turn inward: the lovelorn boy has sense enough to wonder what's wrong withhim," observed Kelefa Sanneh.[59] To this end, the band has also been examined through ahomosocial lens, with the band's internal drama and the friendship between DeLonge and Hoppus scrutinized in this light: "Aqueer reading of Blink-182 may almost be too obvious to make," admitted Spencer Kornhaber ofThe Atlantic, "but playing with and panicking at the idea of being gay was actually vital to the band's identity [...] the guys' [brotherhood] is part of what inspires "shipping" blogs and slashfanfiction."[214]
"These three snot-nosed San Diego punks bottled suburban angst and distilled it into bright, shiny pop songs that might as well have been state-issued to every American teen. During their height, Blink permeated nearly every aspect of popular culture, making them arguably the most influentialpop-punk bandever."
Blink-182 was one of the most popular rock bands at the turn of the millennium, and spearheaded the second wave of pop-punk and its journey into the mainstream.[216] The glossy production instantly set Blink-182 apart from the other crossover punk acts of the era, such asGreen Day.[36] Its third LPEnema of the State catapulted the band to stardom, creating whatNew York's Abebe described as a "blanket immersion among America's twenty-some million teenagers."[196] At the band's commercial peak, albums such asTake Off Your Pants and Jacket andEnema sold over 14 and 15 million copies worldwide, respectively.[37][217] According toKelefa Sanneh ofThe New Yorker, Blink-182 "spawned more imitators than any American rock band sinceNirvana. Their seeming ordinariness convinced a generation of goofy punks that maybe they, too, could turn out deceptively simple songs as well constructed as anything on the pop chart."[59] Most Blink-182 songs are considered straightforward and easy to play on guitar, making them a popular choice of practice for beginner musicians. Lewis ofTotal Guitar notes that this was key in influencing a generation of kids to "pick up the guitar and form bands of their own."[185]
Despite this, the band never received particularly glowing reviews, with many reviewers dismissing them as a joke. Nevertheless, subsequent reviews of the band's discography have been more positive.Andy Greenwald ofBlender wrote, "the quick transformation from nudists to near geniuses is down-right astonishing."[218] James Montgomery ofMTV said that "despite their maturation, Blink never took themselves particularlyseriously, which was another reason they were so accessible."[37] A new generation of rock fans found the Blink sound "hugely influential," according to Nicole Frehsée ofRolling Stone.[219] Sanneh concurred: in his 2021 bookMajor Labels, he calls the band a "generational touchstone", arguing their sound and humor aged gracefully.[220]In 2011, Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times asserted that "no punk band of the 1990s has been more influential than Blink-182," stating that even as the band receded after their initial 2005 split, "its sound and style could be heard in the muscular pop punk ofFall Out Boy or in the current wave of high-glossWarped Tour punk bands, likeAll Time Low andthe Maine."[36] Montgomery agrees: "...without them, there'd be no Fall Out Boy, noParamore, or noFueled by Ramen Records."[37] Maria Sherman ofThe Village Voice took this a step further, writing "Apart from the sound, Blink's ideology has been popularized [...] their presence is everywhere."[221] "When it comes to having inestimable influence, blink-182 might well be contemporary punk's version ofthe Beatles", wrote Scott Heisel in a 2009Alternative Press cover story on the band.[222] The same magazine later ranked Blink the fourth of the "30 Most Influential Bands of the Past 30 Years," just behindRadiohead,Fugazi, and Nirvana.[215] Bands such asPanic! at the Disco and All Time Low originated covering Blink-182 songs,[223] whileYou Me at Six and5 Seconds of Summer have also named the band as influences.[114] "Anyone in our genre would be lying if they said they weren't influenced by Blink-182," saidJoel Madden ofGood Charlotte.[224] The band's influence extends beyond punk and pop-punk groups as well: the band has been cited as an influence byAvril Lavigne,[225][226]Best Coast,[36]Juice Wrld,[227]Lil Peep,[228]DIIV,[229]FIDLAR,[230]Grimes,[221]Male Bonding,[221]Neck Deep,[231]Mumford & Sons,[232]A Day to Remember,[233]Machine Gun Kelly,Owl City,[234]Charly Bliss,[235]Tucker Beathard,[236]Joyce Manor,[237]Wavves,[11]Taylor Swift[238] andthe Chainsmokers;[239] the latter even mentioned the band in the lyrics of their number-one hit song "Closer".[239]
^Filled-in for Barker for a few shows when he couldn't make it including Warped Tour in 1999, as well as on the Australian Tour from February 20 until March 4, 2013, as Barker still had a fear of flying after a 2008 plane crash.
^Diehl, Matt (April 17, 2007).My So-Called Punk: Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion – How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 75–76.ISBN978-0-312-33781-0.
^Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2013 Vinyl Reissue).Blink-182 (liner notes).US: Geffen / Universal Music Special Markets. 2013. SRC025/SRC026/SRC027/SRC028.This reference primarily cites the Mark Hoppus foreword.
^Barker, Travis (October 20, 2015). Gavin Edwards (ed.).Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums.HarperCollins. p. 355.ISBN978-0062319425.
^ab"30 Most Influential Bands of the Past 30 Years".Alternative Press. May 2015. pp. 87–89.
^Romanowski, Patricia. George-Warren, Holly. Pareles, Jon. (2001).The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century). New York: Touchstone, 1136 pp. First edition, 2001.
