They were the only people who understood your teenage angst-ridden soul. They had a way of summing up your feelings about how much you hated your small town, even if you didn't live in one or didn't hate it. They helped you understand your confusing relationships, even if you weren't in one. They're your favorite middle school pop-punk bands. Maybe you grew out of them, but you know that if you heard them, you wouldn't be able to help yourself from jamming along.

There was no real way to order these, but they are definitely 10 of the best out of the category. Just relax and reminisce about the music that defined the most awkward years of your life.

1. All Time Low

They were the cute boys with the long hair who understood all of the good times you had with your friends, despite not actually having ever done anything they ever mentioned in their songs (i.e. "playing flip cup" in Let it Roll). Then again, who didn't have a crush on Alex Gaskarth?

The Favorite Song: Jasey Rae

2. Fall Out Boy

Did you ever understand what they were saying? No. Did it matter? No. They were probably the first pop-punk band you listened to, and because of that, no matter what other bands you discovered from there on out, they were always your main.

The Favorite Song: Sugar We're Going Down

3. Cute is What We Aim For

They didn't last all too long. In fact, they didn't even really last too long after we left middle school, but if you knew them, then oh lord did you love them. They were one of the lesser-known bands that made you sound quirky to your cousins who just didn't get you.

The Favorite Song: The Curse of Curves

4. Paramore

Hayley Williams, with her ever unchanging bright orange hair, was either your feminine icon, or the target of all your hate. No matter what you thought of her, you'd be lying if you said that Misery Business wasn't your angry teenage girl rage jam.

The Favorite Song: Misery Business

5. My Chemical Romance

You were not okay, but neither were they. They were the punkier pop-punk band that gave you just that little extra edge that you were missing from the other pop punk bands. The break-up happened post middle school, but don't pretend it didn't kill you. Don't worry, we don't have to talk about it.

The Favorite Song: I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

6. Boys Like Girls

It's not unlikely now that the previous Boys Like Girls fans would have a problem with their name being heteronormative, and they got pretty mainstream by high school. But, when they weren't big, they were all yours, and they were great.

The Favorite Song: Heels Over Head

7. The Maine

They never got too big and you never heard them on MTV, but that's why you loved them. They were the only pop-punk band that I've never heard anyone accuse of selling out, and for that, they always had your trust and respect.

The Favorite Song: The Way We Talk

8. We The Kings

Maybe Check Yes Juliet was the only song you knew by them, but hey, also maybe not. We The Kings earned a pretty big fan following, but whether you were a fan who loved their whole album or not, you know that you loved Check Yes Juliet.

The Favorite Song: Check Yes Juliet

9. Panic! At The Disco

Because they weren't just panic at the disco, they were Panic! At The Disco. With song titles as longer than their songs, Brendon Urie's voice, and some of the most fun lyrics, their popularity was inevitable.

The Favorite Song: I Write Sins Not Tragedies

10. Cobra Starship

Maybe now (and back then a little too) they weighed further in pop than pop-punk, they still had enough of an underground scene to appeal to the 13-year-old pop-punk newbies. Not to mention, they were also pretty funny (see "Hollaback Boy" for reference).

The Favorite Song: Guilty Pleasure