27 Years Ago, Blink-182 Released the Perfect Pop-Punk Album
The iconic pop-punk trio blink-182 helped define the genre with its hit album Enema of the State. The album, which included iconic hits like "All the Small Things" and "What's My Age Again?" brought the band to the forefront of the popular music scene – and to televisions across the country, thanks to MTV.
The heavy overdriven guitar, iconic whiny vocals, frantic drums, and catchy choruses became the sound of the era and the soundtrack for surfers, skaters, and the youth of the time.
27 years later, it still holds up as the perfect pop-punk album.
blink-182
Founded in Southern California in 1992 with Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and original drummer Scott Raynor, blink-182 built a following on the Southern California skate punk scene, releasing studio albums Cheshire Cat in 1995, followed by Dude Ranch in 1997, which went gold and produced a hit single in "Dammit," which gave the band their first taste of mainstream radio.
When Travis Barker replaced Raynor in 1998, the band exploded in popularity. With the new lineup, the band released Enema of the State with producer Jerry Finn. The album made blink-182 one of the biggest rock bands in the world and helped pop-punk go fully mainstream. Two years later, the band continued its momentum as it released Take Off Your Pantsand Jacket, which debuted as the top album on the Billboard 200.
Following the release of their self-titled album in 2003, the band went on hiatus in 2005 as a result of tensions between DeLonge and his bandmates. The band reunited in 2009 after Barker was involved in a plane crash. The band released Neighborhoods in 2011, but DeLonge left the band again in 2015. This time, however, the band continued without him, replacing him with Matt Skiba and releasing two albums – California in 2016 and Nine in 2019.
In 2022, the band reunited again following Hoppus' battle with cancer – this time with Delonge. The band released One More Time… in 2023 to strong commercial and critical reception, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band has remained together since, touring and even headlining Coachella.
Over the years, the band has been enormously successful and emerged as one of the most iconic pop-punk acts ever. But that success largely began 27 years ago with Enema of the State.
Enema of the State
Released on June 1, 1999, via MCA Records, Enema of the State was blink-182's third studio album and first with drummer Travis Barker. Produced by Jerry Finn, who had previously worked with Green Day, it was both a commercial and critical success, going down as arguably the most iconic pop-punk album of all time.
The album included three singles that became MTV and radio staples. "All the Small Things" peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and hit No. 2 in the UK. "What's My Age Again?" and "Adam's Song" followed, with the former peaking at No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Commercially, the album was a massive hit. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 15 million copies worldwide, earning 5x Platinum certification in the United States. The album has held up over time, as Rolling Stone ranks it as the No. 2 pop-punk album of all time, behind only Green Day's Dookie.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 10:34 PM.