Remember back in, like, 2008 when it was kind of cool to be punk? I was only in middle school at the time, and looking back the whole thing felt like a vivid fever-dream. I mean, I didn't really participate in the choppy fringed hair, dark clothes, skin tight band shirts, or forearm full of thick novelty bracelets, but one thing I sure was on board with 100 percent was the music of the culture. I'm talking like quintessential pop punk. Some of the music from the time has come to stick with me ten or more years later. Join me on a nostalgia trip as we go back in time to recognize the music that's come to define a generation's childhood.

1. "Sugar, We're Goin Down" - Fall Out Boy

Okay, I could have put just about any Fall Out Boy song into this list and you probably would have been like, "YES!" But I decided to include this one because it's practically the radio favorite. When it comes to lyrics that don't make sense but everyone knows them anyway, this is the king.

2. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - Panic! At the Disco

Again, another one of those bands where I could have chosen just about any song from. I mean, who doesn't love Panic! At the Disco? Not to mention that Brendon Urie is still, to this day, a pure and genuine artifact that we need to protect at all costs.

3. "Misery Business" - Paramore

In my book, Paramore marks the third of the epic trinity of pop punk bands, the other two being Panic! and Fall Out Boy, of course. Since I was in middle school, I had the biggest crush on Hayley Williams so it was such a dream come true to see them live for the first time last year.

4. "All The Small Things" - Blink-182

It's such a catchy song. You have to love the fact that these guys are still around today too.

5. "In Too Deep" - Sum 41

Sum 41 wasn't as popular as some of the other names on this list but they did have a radio hit or two that I no doubt still listen to today.

6. "Basket Case" - Green Day

From the album that started it all for Green Day, "Basket Case" help put Green Day out there.

7. "Last Resort" - Papa Roach

This is relatively a deep cut choice but it was essential to my youth nonetheless. Before you go on listening to the lyrics and wondering if I had a concerning childhood or not, just know that I only listened to this as a workout song. Let's face it, lyrics aside, this is one hell of a song to get pumped to.

8. "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" - The Offspring

When it comes to catchy songs, this was really up there. The Offspring are talented musicians with a knack for telling it how it is and that was more than enough to get me into this song.

9. "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes

The one hit wonder with one of the most recognizable bass riffs to ever grace music itself.

10. "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers

It's impossible for anyone to not know all of the lyrics to this song by now. I still hear it on the radio like three times a week and it has to have been at least a decade since it's come out now.

11. "The Kill" - 30 Seconds to Mars

When people hear the name Jared Leto now, they think of the Joker from the movie "Suicide Squad" but that's definitely not where he's debuted as a known celebrity. He was front-man and singer to the band 30 Seconds to Mars and he put down one hell of a studio performance in this song. When you hear it, it just sounds like the room is exploding in slow motion.

12. "Move Along" - All-American Rejects

One of my favorite drum intros to a song ever. Right up there with "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin. Not to mention this was the song that was featured in the old "Bionicle" toy commercials. Please tell me I'm not the only one that remembers that.

13. "Sk8r Boi" - Avril Lavigne

Don't judge me. She's awesome.

14. "Riot" - Three Days Grace

This was definitely another one of those hype songs I used while I was working out or practicing sports.

15. "Welcome to the Black Parade" - My Chemical Romance

You either love them or you hate them, but you can't argue that "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance is one of the most celebrated artifacts of the early pop-punk era. I'm serious about this song being the "Stairway to Heaven" of this genre. Let's face it, when you hear the first four notes of this song's melodic prelude, you feel the urge to cry from both joy and melancholy.

That concludes this round of time travel for the day. Though I only decided to include one song per band for this list, there are dozens more I could have chosen to be represented here. This whole musical era's quickly slipped away into the past, and it should have because the music was generally sad, angsty, and edgy, which is more or less a pain to listen to on a daily basis, but in no way should it be forgotten because it's come to define a generation. My generation. Rock on.