The Offspring

Nirvana finally made it acceptable for U.S. top-40 fans to embrace punk rock, and bands like Green Day and the Offspring followed up the charts in their wake. While California's Offspring had been slugging it out since the late-'80s, it wasn't until the mid-'90s that the band hit paydirt with a slew of anthemic punk-pop ditties. While their mix of borderline novelty lyrics and crunching chords wouldn't seem to be a lasting formula, a pure punk heart and a keen ear for a hook made the band regulars on the alternative rock charts for well over a decade.

• rock
• pop