The 10 Best blink-182 Songs
Blink-182 are known for being a high energy, punk-infused rock band with a gloriously sophomoric sense of humor, who are also capable of emotional depth in their songwriting.
They’ve had a long and successful career colored by numerous massive hits, breakups, and lineup changes, but many fans love them best as Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker, the current and most famous lineup.
Started in Tom DeLonge’s garage while they were still in high school, the trio originally featured Mark and Tom, with Scott Raynor on drums. This lineup produced their first two albums, Chesire Cat (1995) and Dude Ranch (1997) as well as their early demos.
Raynor was replaced by Travis Barker on drums in 1998 and then their third album, Enema of the State (1999) made them famous, with singles like “What’s My Age Again” and “All the Small Things” rising to the top of the charts.
It was the lineup of Mark, Tom, and Travis that created most of the best blink-182 songs. The trio of albums including Enema of the State, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), and blink-182 (2003) are widely considered to be the high point of the band’s musical output.
They had their first hiatus in 2005, not long after the release of blink-182. While they have made some good music in the years that followed, both with Tom DeLonge and with his fill-in, Matt Skiba, nothing we’ve seen yet has been able to crack the top 10, which is already quite stacked.
See our rankings of the best blink-182 songs below.
10. “Aliens Exist” (Enema of the State, 1999)
Today, Tom DeLonge is widely known to be a UFO enthusiast, and has actually made quite a name for himself in that regard. “Aliens Exist” was our first sign that he had his eyes to the stars, with its lyrics about being abducted.
This is an interest that Tom would expand upon greatly over the course of his career outside of blink-182, both with the spacey Angels & Airwaves project and through writing and speaking. It’s interesting to hear where it all began, several decades down the line.
I also want to point out that the transition between “Aliens Exist” and the next song on the album, “Going Away to College” is fantastic.
9. “Carousel” (Cheshire Cat, 1995)
According to legend, “Carousel” was born out of the very first jam session that Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus ever had. The ripping punk rock song with an extended jam introduction quickly became a fan-favorite. The band included it on both their 1994 demo album, Buddha, and their 1995 debut studio album, Cheshire Cat (with a new recording and arrangement).
Another honorable mention from the early days is “M+Ms”, the second track on Cheshire Cat which we could not find a place for on this list but is certainly worth a listen.
See our full analysis, The Meaning of blink-182’s “Carousel”.
8. “First Date” (Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, 2001)
Everybody has experienced first date nerves, and blink-182’s “First Date” is sung from the perspective of a young guy in this situation. We hear about all the things that Tom is worried could go wrong along the way, but it does seem to be a pretty good date because he’s hoping that it will never end. Whether or not he ever saw her again is up to you to decide.
7. “Down” (blink-182, 2003)
While some of the band’s early fans were turned off by the more melodic approach that blink-182 took to their self-titled album, it’s hard to deny that the production, especially the vocals, is incredible. “Down”, the cathartic song about a young guy hoping to kiss his date while they’re in a car and its raining, boasts one of the best Tom DeLonge vocal performances in the entire discography.
6. “Dammit” (Dude Ranch, 1997)
One of the most iconic guitar intros of the entire 90s comes at the start of blink-182’s “Dammit”. This punk song about growing up and learning to face the challenges of life was released as the second single from Dude Ranch, and it became the band’s first hit.
Today, “Dammit” is still a fan-favorite and is often one of the first songs that comes to mind when people think of blink-182. If you’re looking to help you out of a funk, this song is usually enough to do it.
5. “What’s My Age Again?”
Keeping with the theme of growing up, we have another Hoppus-penned song, “What’s My Age Again?”. This is a song about being 23 years old and not wanting to act your age, despite everybody telling you it’s time to do so.
Hoppus sings about losing his girlfriend due to his immature behavior, which keeps on getting worse as the song goes on. It’s clear that he hasn’t learned his lesson. In fact, he has outright refused to learn his lesson.
This is the kind of attitude that makes us love blink-182. “What’s My Age Again?” was the lead single to Enema of the State, the first single to feature Travis Barker on drums, and it has remained at the core of their repertoire ever since.
4. “Stay Together For The Kids” (Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, 2001)
“Stay Together For The Kids” is one of the most powerful songs that blink-182 has released. Written by Tom DeLonge, the lyrics are from the perspective of a child living in a home being torn apart by divorce, a story inspired by the divorce of his own parents.
Many of their other songs are focused on romantic relationships, and while some of them do reach an emotional peak, “Stay Together For The Kids” is deeper than that. Sure, there’s a relationship involved — the parents, but also the parent-child relationship, which more personal than any romantic relationship.
The song has a heavier feel, inspired by elements of hardcore punk and metal, and the arrangement is done in a way that truly draws out the raw emotion present in the lyrics. It’s perhaps the ultimate example of blink-182-induced catharsis, and a personal favorite of mine.
3. “All The Small Things” (Enema of the State, 1999)
Probably the signature blink-182 song is “All The Small Things”. This catchy song about the little things a person does to show that they care about you is the song that made them superstars. It was all over the radio at the time of its release, and the iconic music video received tons of runtime on MTV.
This is peak silly and fun blink-182, and when coupled with the music video it puts the personalities that fans of the band fell in love with at the forefront. “All The Small Things” is a true classic that will be remembered for a long time to come.
2. “I Miss You” (blink-182, 2003)
When I said earlier that “Down” was one of the best Tom DeLonge vocal performances in the catalogue, the best of the best can be heard on “I Miss You”.
Released as the second single to their self-titled album, “I Miss You” was co-written by Mark and Tom is in close running with “All The Small Things” for their most popular song. Despite the fact that some more passionate fans of the band’s punk sound dismissed it upon release.
If you ran the numbers to find out how many people had this song stuck in their head in 2004, the results would be astonishing. I can personally attest that blink-182 became the “voice inside my head” with “I Miss You” when I was just a young lad, and I’m sure some readers share that experience.
1. “Adam’s Song” (Enema of the State, 1999)
In the conversation about blink-182 songs, “Adam’s Song” hits different. While most of their best and most popular songs can be described as juvenile, this one is far more serious in terms of subject matter and arrangement. It’s not exactly representative of the band’s sound, but its emotional depth and impact earns it the number one spot on our list.
“Adam’s Song” is an anti-suicide song that Mark Hoppus wrote while homesick out on tour. It chronicles the life of a kid named Adam who feels that he has been kicked around by life one too many times, and wants to end it all. He’s tired of disappointing everybody in his life, and he can’t wait to get home and be by himself.
If anybody was looking for an example of blink-182’s ability to write a song with depth, meaning, and lasting value, this is the one they need to hear first.