Power pop

Power pop is a musical genre, referring to a synthesis of hard rock rhythms with pop hooks and sharp melodies. Although the term had been coined in an interview with Pete Townshend of The Who in the mid-1960s, the first power pop band was the Raspberries in the early 1970s; they drew heavily on the Who, the Byrds, the Beach Boys, The Kinks and the Beatles. Along with the Raspberries were pioneers Big Star and Badfinger. Aside from the success of bands like Cheap Trick and The Knack, power pop never crossed fully into the mainstream. Its fanbase decreased at the end of the 70s, and eventually only a few cult bands remained.

In the late 1980s, though, power pop returned with bands like Teenage Fanclub, Material Issue, the Posies and Jellyfish. Drawing heavily upon Big Star and bands in the related glam rock genre of the early 1970s like T.Rex and Sweet, these new bands eventually broke into the mainstream more than ever before with the success of Weezer in the mid 1990s. Certain 1990s acts not associated with the genre, like Nirvana and Oasis, bore definite signs of its influence, which continues today.