On The 10 Year Anniversary of Riot!

I’m a few days late, but Paramore’s Riot! album turned 10 the other day. Here’s my thoughts on the pop-punk classic.

Traditionally the punk and pop punk community has always been somewhat of a boys club. Bands like Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, and Blink-182 have dominated the scene for as long as anyone can remember. Female fronted punk rock ensembles were few and far between. Sure there were pioneers like Bikini Kill and Joan Jett who paved the way for women in the punk scene, but for some reason, female fronted bands still struggled to make it in the industry. Even at the height of its power, the pop-punk community was dominated by male fronted bands. In 2004, a band was formed that would create some waves in the pop-punk community. That band was Paramore.

The Tennessee based band gained some initial traction when their first album All We Know when it was released in 2005. The album itself is somewhat forgettable compared to what was to come, but All We Know was important in the sense that the band began to make a name for themselves. Not only did it help them get signed to Fueled by Ramen, but it also helped them book several tours including the all important Warped Tour (back in 2005 performing at Warped actually meant being a good band. I’m looking at you Kevin Lyman). As the band toured for this album, the fan base began to grow. While the music played a large role, so did the fact that the band had a female singer. In a genre that was dominated by male singers, it was almost a shock to hear a female vocalist singing angsty pop-punk songs.

Its no secret that simply having Hayley Williams as the frontwoman helped Paramore grow. News outlets and fans alike put such a central focus on Williams that she began to feel like people didn’t understand the band as a whole, but rather viewed her as a separate entity from the band. Despite all this attention, Williams avoided the pitfalls of fame; she stayed grounded in her beliefs and did not give in to the fame monster. Williams’ commitment to keeping the coverage of their work on the music and not on herself is one of the reasons Paramore has become such respected veterans in the music field. All We Know was important for a lot of reasons, but perhaps the most important one was that it set the stage for the 2007 release of Riot!, an album that would change the pop punk scene forever.

Following the success of their debut album, the bar was set high for Paramore. It is a safe assumption that the band did not only met expectations of fans and critics alike; they exceeded them. Paramore’s sophomore album, Riot!, debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200, an impressive feat for a fledgling band. With hits like “Misery Business,” “That’s What You Get” and “CrushCrushCrush,” Riot! launched Paramore into a whole new tier of fame. Following the release of the album, the band completed another run on the Warped Circuit, toured with pop-punk legends like New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World, were voted best band of 2007, and even got to perform in Time Square on New Year's Eve. Riot! was proof that Paramore was not simply using their unique position as a female fronted band to draw in listeners. It was proof that they had talent.

The years following Riot! were filled with growth and change for Paramore, in terms of personality and sound. By the time their 2017 album After Laughter was released, Paramore was a shell of the band it used to be. Their driving riffs and pulsing drums have been replaced with 80’s synth sounds and lazy guitar work. At the end of the day, bands change and move in whatever direction they want to. I get that. But what doesn’t change is the legacy they leave behind. If nothing else, I hope Paramore’s legacy is the effect Riot! had on the music industry. Riot! was not revolutionary in sound or lyrical, in fact it was perfectly ordinary, but was revolutionary about it was how it inspired millions of young girls to pick up instruments, to start forming bands, to make their mark in the scene. It made female members of the pop-punk community feel like they finally had a voice, that their struggles were valid to. Although probably not intentional, Riot! became a rally cry for many young women to take a stand and start fighting for themselves. It showed the world that the pop-punk community would no longer be a boys club.

Flash forward 10 years later and the pop-punk scene is still thriving (well by thriving I mean there’s a billion bands out there that all kind of sound the same). There is something different about the scene now. Since Riot!’s debut, there have been more than a few female fronted bands that have made themselves distinguished members of the scene: Tonight Alive, We Are The In Crowd, Dead Sara are just some of the prime examples. (In my opinion, there’s still not enough of them). Whether or not Riot! played a direct part in that is up for debate, but I think on some level the success of that album opened doors for a lot of other bands.

I think in another 10 years, Riot! will still be looked upon with love and fondness. Regardless if someone is just getting into pop-punk or has been a fan for many years, I can almost guarantee you that they have heard Paramore’s Riot!. That alone is more than enough proof for me to believe that this album will stand the test of time.

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