Top 10 Best Punk Rock Albums of the 2010s

Punk didn't hang up its boots after the '80s. It kept stomping through the years, spitting in the face of polished trends and dragging three chords and a snarl into the 2010s. No eyeliner-loaded pop-punk ballads here. This is for the bruisers. The crusty, the loud, the anarchic. If you're looking for chart-chasing singalongs about high school heartbreak, you're on the wrong list. This is about bands who never learned to sit still, let alone behave.

The 2010s were a strange decade for punk. Streaming killed the radio star. DIY scenes thrived in basements while legendary bands reunited, broke up again, then reunited some more. Punk grew older, weirder, sometimes angrier, but it didn't go quiet. Hardcore got heavier. Political punk got sharper. Some bands got faster. Some got slow and sludgy just to mess with you. And through it all, the core stayed the same: raw energy, zero sugar.

So what were the best punk rock albums of the 2010s? That's up to you. Scroll through, vote for the records that hit you hardest, and skip the ones that sound like they were made for Hot Topic mannequins.

The Top Ten

  1. End of Days - Discharge

    Discharge is a band that is very consistent in terms of sound, which is already a good sign. This album continues their signature sound while implementing different things as well. It's definitely one worth checking out if you're a fan of them or into hardcore punk as a whole.

    Solid pick for #1. Great album from beginning to end.

  2. The Devil's Rain - Misfits

    The Misfits were essential to horror punk, which is undeniable. This album in particular is their most recent endeavor, and it came out 10 years ago. Hmm, odd, but as a whole, this album is pretty solid and has lots of great hooks going for it.

  3. Into the Future - Bad Brains

    Bad Brains are probably one of the biggest examples that come to mind when someone brings up hardcore punk and crossover thrash to an extent, which is fairly evident. This album is certainly different from some of their other material. In my opinion, it deserves at least one spot on this list.

  4. The American Dream Died - Agnostic Front

    As far as crossover thrash music goes, Agnostic Front are among the best of that genre. This album is definitely among their strongest, with lots of great riffs, drums, and vocals throughout. The vocals might not be melodic in a sense, but that's kind of the point. They're not supposed to sound really clean, which doesn't bug me.

  5. Hypercaffium Spazzinate - Descendents

    Descendents are among some of the best that the genre has to offer, in my opinion. Lots of great hooks, riffs, and top-notch stuff. This album is definitely among their best with lots of great moments and very few dull duds at all. I highly recommend this album for longtime fans of Descendents. You won't be disappointed.

  6. The Dissent of Man - Bad Religion

    Although they lean towards a more melodic hardcore sound nowadays, I don't view that as a bad thing. They're still energetic and have tons of charisma. It's kind of hard to top some of their early material or even some of their '90s material, admittedly.

    I think Bad Religion's latest album deserves a spot on this list too. Also, Wrong Way Kids is one of my favorite Bad Religion songs.

  7. First Ditch Effort - NOFX

    NOFX represents the more frat side of punk to an extent. This is evident with some of their song titles and lyrics. I think that makes them very enjoyable, though. This album in particular proves that they still got it. Fat Mike's vocals are just as solid as they've always been. Major props to whoever produced this album.

  8. Wolves - Rise Against

    I think it's no secret to anyone that I love Rise Against. I enjoy Tim McIlrath's vocal delivery, and I enjoy their guitar work too. Lots of their songs still manage to hold up after all these years. This album has mixed reception, but I think it's certainly a highlight in their discography.

    "Are we not good enough, are we not brave enough, is the violence in our nature..."

  9. American Fall - Anti-Flag

    American Fall has some of Anti-Flag's best hooks and political lyricism to date. Some might say it doesn't top their earlier material, which I can understand to an extent. However, a vast majority of this album delivers and succeeds in what it sets out to do. American Attraction in particular is the song that really got me hooked on Anti-Flag.

  10. Presumed Insolent - Adolescents

    It definitely doesn't top some of their earlier stuff. However, it's a decent enough record for what it is. Fun, catchy tunes with riffs that aren't too shabby. I'd also argue that it's better than their Cropduster album, but as a whole, still not too bad.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Performative Justice - Electric Chair

  12. ?

    Off! - Off!

    Hardcore Punk "supergroup" with Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag) on vocals, Steven McDonald (Red Cross, Melvins) on bass, Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides) on guitar, and Mario Rubalcaba (411, Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes) on drums. You like Black Flag? Circle Jerks? Then you'll like OFF! The best Hardcore Punk band of the 2010s in my opinion.

    13. The Contenders

  13. American Spring - Anti-Flag

  14. Momentum - G.B.H.

    Released in 2017. Solid album by the hardworking and consistent G.B.H.

  15. Crisis Point - Subhumans

    Great album with great lyrics as usual with Subhumans. Released in 2019.

  16. Moral Panic - Moral Panic

    Solid '70s-style Punk Rock from New York. Released in 2017.

  17. An Beach - Aborted Tortoise

  18. Behind the Screen - Loose Nukes

    Great modern Hardcore Punk out of Pennsylvania. This EP was released in 2019. They also have a killer demo tape floating around out there.

  19. Hot Liqs - Liquids

    One of my favorite modern punk bands. A hybrid of Garage and Hardcore. Their latest album "Life Is Pain Idiot" is the best punk album released so far in 2021, in my opinion. This album (Hot Liqs) was released in 2016.

  20. L.P.1. Aka 14-Year-Old High School PC-Fascist Hype Lords Rip-Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $$$ From Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P. - The Coneheads

    Definitely the most unique band on the list. Strange but super cool Synth-Punk. I'm pretty sure fans of Devo and The Spits will dig The Coneheads. Too bad this band was short-lived, they were awesome!

  21. Age of Unreason - Bad Religion

  22. Order in Decline - Sum 41

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