If you love the punch of Cheap Trick, the jangle of Big Star, the sugar rush of The Knack, or the swooning brilliance of Teenage Fanclub, then these are for you. Power pop isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about chasing that feeling. The feeling when the chorus hits, when the guitars chime, and when three minutes of music sounds like pure heartbreak in a sunbeam. These bands didn’t always top the charts, but they nailed the genre’s sweet spot: melody, melancholy, and maximum volume.
Here are 20 power pop bands you might not know—until today.
20/20
With songs as tight as their band name, Tulsa-to-LA transplants 20/20 delivered flawless, guitar-forward harmonies that made them cult heroes of the late ‘70s. “Yellow Pills” should have been a top 10 hit in any fair universe.
The Beat (Paul Collins’ Beat)
Former member of The Nerves, Paul Collins took jangly guitars and turned them into rocket fuel. If you like your hooks with urgency, The Beat is your go-to record.
Blue Ash
Hailing from Ohio, Blue Ash was one of the earliest American bands to channel Beatlesque beauty with bar-band bite. Their debut No More, No Less is a power pop essential.
Cotton Mather
This Austin band wrote songs like lost Lennon-McCartney gems—smart, layered, and impossibly catchy. 1997’s Kontiki is cult-adored and deserved a Grammy.
Dwight Twilley Band
Part Elvis, part Beatles, all heart. Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour’s chemistry powered hits like “I’m On Fire,” but their deeper cuts are power pop goldmines.
Flamin’ Groovies
They predated punk and outlasted trends. Shake Some Action is jangly, dangerous, and romantic all at once—a record that could convert any cynic.
Fountains of Wayne
Sure, everyone knows “Stacy’s Mom,” but Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood were the Lennon & McCartney of suburbia. Utopia Parkway is an all-killer-no-filler masterpiece.
Game Theory
Led by the late Scott Miller, Game Theory blended collegiate braininess with soaring choruses. Lolita Nation is weird, wired, and wonderful.
The Grip Weeds
Mixing mod psychedelia with power pop crunch, this New Jersey band channels the Who as much as the Byrds. Think Rickenbackers with a fuzz pedal.
Jellyfish
They only released two albums, but they both sparkle like Sgt. Pepper’s fever dreams. Their Technicolor harmonies and Beatles-on-bubblegum arrangements earned them die-hard fans.
Material Issue
The pride of Chicago’s early-‘90s scene, these guys wrote urgent songs about heartbreak, highways, and Friday nights. Their debut International Pop Overthrow gave a whole festival its name.
The Nerves
Before Blondie covered “Hanging on the Telephone,” The Nerves were the real deal: DIY legends with lean, mean hooks and a relentless sense of rhythm.
P. Hux (Parthenon Huxley)
The name alone should have gotten him a Grammy, but his albums are full of pristine melodies, ringing guitars, and lyrical optimism dressed in melancholy.
Shoes
Zion, Illinois’ finest. Clean guitar tones, bedroom-recorded vocals, and timeless choruses—Shoes built the blueprint for lo-fi romantic pop.
Sloan
Canadian alt-rock legends with four songwriters and endless harmonies. Power pop never sounded this democratic, and albums like Twice Removed and One Chord to Another are stacked.
Sorrows
One of the great lost NYC bands of the early ’80s, Sorrows were punchy, melodic, and tight as a drum. Teenage Heartbreak is their holy grail.
Splitsville
Unfairly buried in the late-‘90s shuffle, Splitsville could have ruled the charts in 1978. Start with The Complete Pet Soul—yes, it sounds exactly like that hybrid suggests.
The Outfield
Best known for their smash hit “Your Love,” The Outfield delivered far more than one stadium-ready anthem. With their crisp guitar lines, soaring harmonies, and bittersweet lyrics, they brought British power pop to American FM radio in the 1980s with style. Their debut album Play Deep is a masterclass in radio-friendly jangle rock, and Tony Lewis’ voice could cut through any crowd. Dig deeper—they’ve got more hooks than a tackle box.
The Spongetones
If the Beatles had stayed in Hamburg and recorded in a Carolina garage, you’d get The Spongetones. Their hooks are vintage, but their energy is forever.
Velvet Crush
Signed by Creation Records and blessed by R.E.M., this Rhode Island band wrapped jangly guitars around heartsick lyrics with effortless cool.