15 June 20-26, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Blink and They’re Back Gen Z can’t get enough of Blink-182 and the pop-punk resurgence. BY ISABEL RIVERA P op-punk staple Blink-182 returns to Miami for the first time in 24 years on Friday, June 21, at the Kaseya Center. If you’ve already bought a ticket, chances are you’re an overexcited millennial itching to re- live your glory days or a member of another burgeoning Blink fanbase. Gen Z is the band’s newest devotee and has been at the center of reviving pop-punk in the past four years of this decade from the slump it experienced in the 2010s. The group’s latest album, One More Time (2023), has already surpassed the previous two, Cali- fornia (2016) and Nine (2019), in record sales since its release eight months ago, a feat par- tially championed by young fans. But why is the band’s following being taken over by a growing number of listeners who were in diapers at the band’s peak? The answer is twofold. Blink’s sound has undeniably become the blueprint for so many of the pop-punk resurgence artists Gen Z gravitates towards. If Machine Gun Kelly’s four-on-the-floor frenzy and overenunciated nasal vocals on Tickets to My Downfall sound familiar, it’s because they’re textbook Blink — not to mention that drummer Travis Barker produced the album. In a very modern turn of events, the band’s sound has even infiltrated a previously un- heard-of pop-punk demographic, queer women of color, with Willow Smith’s album Lately I Feel Everything (2021). The record’s explosive drums and snarling lyrics are remi- niscent of a time when white guys with juve- nile voices dominated the charts with their songs about the pitfalls of suburbia while ex- ploring more introspective themes like race and the female experience. But, really, all these connections can be boiled down to the 20-year rule, a nostalgic sweet spot for recurring trends. The reason Gen Z can transgenerationally relate to these middle-aged rockers lies in the age group’s shared psyche. Spanning ages 12-27, these guys were born anywhere between 1997 and 2012, giving them front-row seats to major world events in a short span of time. Members of Gen Z have likely lived through the 9/11 terrorist at- tacks, the Great Recession of 2007, multiple wars, and a worldwide pandemic, just to name a few. While the young generation is trying to make light of their at-times disheartening childhood with increased sociopolitical activ- ity and TikTok challenges, it’s left an indelible mark on their attitude toward the world they live in. Cynicism is commonly seen in this age group, which feels “the COVID-19 pandemic has stolen major life moments they will never get back” and “generally lack[s] trust in politi- cal and societal institutions.” So, what do you do when you need a free therapy session and a one-way ticket to es- capism? You blast some Blink-182. If adulting is too daunting to embrace, you don’t have to. Bassist and vocalist Mark Hop- pus was still making prank calls to his girl- friend’s mom at 27 in “What’s My Age Again?” But if the isolating effects of a nation- wide shutdown are starting to get to you, “Ad- am’s Song” will walk you on and off the ledge and temporarily return you to the monocul- ture, a golden age of pop culture connection that may shed more light on the return to pop-punk. “Blink-182 was that perfect band that was appealing to all while keeping an edge to them,” says Zoomer Hennessy Sepulveda. “Their debut was one of those moments where a subculture became mainstream.” To Sepulveda, the band’s near-unanimous regard as the face of pop-punk propelled its popularity past the actual tunes. Adolescents across America could communicate solidar- ity and instantly gain a mutual understanding of how one viewed the world and felt viewed by the world with a simple “You listen to Blink?” It’s a hive mind of camaraderie those who have grown up in the choice-saturated age of streaming aren’t familiar with. “There’s a novelty in the idea of the mono- culture and how everyone was in on the same thing,” reflects Sepulveda. “We’ve become so isolated within our own little Internet bub- bles. It’s a yearning we don’t have anymore because there’s so much choice and freedom in our niches.” Gen Z’s 20-years-late love affair with Blink-182 is more than just a passing phase. Whether intentional or not, the band time- lessly speaks to the unique growing pains of the young generation. Plus, who doesn’t love “Fam- ily Reunion?” It’s an age-defying laugh you can catch live on June 21 at the Kaseya Center. Blink-182. With Pierce the Veil and Jxdn. 7 p.m. Friday, June 21, 2024, at Kaseya Center, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-777-1000; kas- eyacenter.com. Tickets cost $34.75 to $195.25 via ticketmaster.com. [email protected] ▼ Music Blink-182 will perform at Miami’s Kaseya Center on Friday, June 21. Photo by Rory Kramera
