9. American Hi-Fi – “Flavor of the Weak”
“He’s too stoned / Nintendo” is an all-time great almost-rhyme, and as apt a description of knucklehead bliss in 2017 as it was in 2001. Listening to “Flavor of the Weak” now makes me want to crack an, “I get older, shitty boyfriends stay the same age” joke, but the real reason this chorus is so good is because it’s fun—specifically, how much fun his dumb ass is having while destroying his meaningful relationships! YOLO? — Anna Gaca
8. All-American Rejects – “Dirty Little Secret”
On their sophomore album Move Along, the All-American Rejects were no longer, well, rejects. After their debut single “Swing, Swing” rocketed onto the Billboard Hot 100, they scored a contract with the short-lived record label arm of DreamWorks, positioning them firmly as new rock heartthrobs. They hammered that home with “Dirty Little Secret,” which leans on the inherent charm of their debut but also uses its hook to flirt with a new sort of sex appeal, the kind usually reserved for the full on pop stars they would soon become. — RA
7. Blink-182 – “Rock Show”
Blink-182’s “The Rock Show” is a picturesque depiction of pop-punk youth and young love. Legend has it that Mark Hoppus wrote the song after the band’s manager asked him to write a song that was catchier than their normal output, which is sort of an odd request given “What’s My Age Again?” and “All the Small Things.” On “Rock Show” Hoppus sings about sneaking in through windows, The Warped Tour, and disapproving parents. He also did manage to construct what might be their most classically catchy hook. The candy-coated chorus informed my preteen conceptions of love, and has effectively stuck in my head since the first time I listened to the song off a clean version of Take Off Your Pants and Jacket ripped from a library CD. — EM
6. Sum 41 – “Fat Lip”
Sum 41’s debut album was called All Killer No Filler, and true to that title, the quartet of goofball Canadians did not waste a single moment on their signature single “Fat Lip.” The buzzing midrange riff, the Beastie Boys cosplay of the verses, the suddenly earnest and strikingly melodic bridge, the absurd echo effect applied to the word abortion (bortion, bortion, bortion, bortion…)—each supporting section of the song is so deliriously sticky, it’s a wonder they even needed a chorus. When it comes, it’s full of cookie cutter teenage rebellion stuff about becoming a casualty of society, delivered on a melody so convincing that even a middle-aged man might be tempted to find the closest high school teacher and tell them to eat his shorts. — AC
