When it comes to pop-punk, blink-182. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker were the kings of pop punk, singing about taboo topics in front of massive audiences of teenagers and angering parents at every turn. From the time they got their start in the mid-90s, blink-182 has released nine full-length studio albums and two EPs, and have gone through their share of breakups and lineups.

While Hoppus, DeLonge, and Barker are the core lineup, Barker was not the initial drummer, and actually didn't the band until their third studio album, Enema of the State. Before him was Scott Raynor, who was the drummer on the band's first EP, their first studio album, Cheshire Cat, and their best studio album, Dude Ranch. Even without their signature drummer, Dude Ranch was blink-182's best work, an incredible pop punk masterpiece all around, and 15 songs' worth of pure angsty punk bliss.

15 Degenerate

Track 13

Making parents angry is an integral part of the teenage experience, and "Degenerate" is a song that resonated with blink-182's young fans for precisely that reason. The lyrics of the chorus are just a list of truly awful and vulgar things that DeLonge sings to categorize him as a 'degenerate.' At times, the verses are funny, though only if you have a similarly vulgar sense of humor, which is a huge part of blink-182's sound.

The verses are slower than the extremely fast-paced chorus, and each one tells a brief anecdote of a night of debauchery. The chorus is much more gimmicky, in a way that I can't in good conscience say is exactly good. DeLonge sings, "I'm a jerk, I'm a punk / Took a shower 'cause I stunk," which is actually on the tamer side of this song's lyrics, but the worst part, which has aged horribly (though I can't imagine it really ever went over too well), is the last line: "For a hobby I make bombs."

14 I'm Sorry

Track 15

While Dude Ranch is undoubtedly a no-skip album, it is still a bit front-loaded, with two of the last three tracks lacking in comparison. Until a little under three minutes into the song, relative to the rest of the album, "I'm Sorry" is not a very memorable song. It's a fantastic tune, with Tom DeLonge's signature whiny vocals singing some great, emotional lyrics, but as the album's closer, it doesn't quite hold up.

Oftentimes, an artist will close out an album with a ballad, or at least a somewhat slower, fairly emotional track. Not that "I'm Sorry" doesn't qualify, but it is not as powerful of an ending to an otherwise incredibly powerful—in multiple senses of the word—album. The lyrics are on the serious side, especially with the gut-wrenching vocal duet between DeLonge and Mark Hoppus, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry (What's happened to you?)" repeated at the end.

13 Untitled

Track 8

Typically, when a song is called "Untitled," I have an automatic bias against it. It just seems lazy, especially when it comes to a song whose lyrics lend itself to so many potential titles the way this one does. Not to beat a dead horse, but if they felt comfortable naming a song "Dick Lips," then it stands to reason that this song could have received a proper name. That said, if this song's biggest flaw is its title, then that's fine by me. Every aspect of this song is fast, hard, and upbeat, making for a rage-filled, head-banging experience.

The lyrics, the guitar, and the drums all form a cohesive unit, placed strategically in the exact middle of the album to keep the overall sound and vibes going strong.

This is a song on which Scott Raynor's drumming really shines, as well as the vocal harmonies between Tom DeLonge's high-pitched lead vocals and Mark Hoppus's deep, soothing harmonies. The lyrics, the guitar, and the drums all form a cohesive unit, placed strategically in the exact middle of the album to keep the overall sound and vibes going strong, just in case there was any sort of perceived lull in the album—which there wasn't.

12 Boring

Track 4

The crunchy guitar riff complimented by the hard and fast drum beat at the beginning of "Boring" is absolutely anything but. When Tom DeLonge comes in with the line, "You don't need nothing / And I know that you won't even try," you expect it to be just as fast as the guitar and drums, but he sings with pause, at probably half the speed. It isn't until the chorus when he sings, "No trust, all I got is lies / Boring, alright," that he picks up the pace just slightly, to almost match that of the music.

This song's fatal flaw is that it isn't even two minutes long. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a short song, and it does make sense that this one is on the shorter side. However, the guitar solo feels relatively incomplete, almost like it's building the whole time but fails to fully reach its potential, and ends abruptly just shy of the 1:30 mark. The remaining 15 seconds are devoted to weird kissing noises and a horse neighing, which is actually the perfect way to end the track.

11 Dick Lips

Track 5

Another quintessential teenage track, "Dick Lips" begins with Tom DeLonge's characteristic whine, marked by lyrics which couldn't possibly be more fitting: "Please mom, you ground me all the time / I know that I was right all along." Much to my younger brother's dismay, this album was the soundtrack to my drive to high school nearly every morning, and this song was a huge reason why. Even if I couldn't always directly relate, as a teenager, this song just spoke to my soul.

As time went on, the band started to touch on deeper themes in their lyrics, but on Dude Ranch, a lighthearted and comical pop punk masterpiece, these lyrics certainly stood out.

This song's lyrics, while mostly speaking to stereotypical teenage angst, also touch on some more serious themes. Where the first verse is DeLonge pleading with his mother to understand that he's just a kid, the second verse is much darker: "S*** dad, please, don't kick my ass / I know I've seen you trashed at least one time." As time went on, the band started to touch on deeper themes in their lyrics, but on Dude Ranch, a lighthearted and comical pop punk masterpiece, these lyrics certainly stood out.

10 A New Hope

Track 12

"A New Hope," named after the 1977 original Star Wars film, was a musical tribute to the movie franchise. Mark Hoppus was inspired to write the song by his deep infatuation with Princess Leia (LA Times), and tells a story in his lyrics about his obsession, referencing the Star Wars franchise at every turn with callbacks to Mos Eisley Cantina, or the planet of Endor. Silly as it is, this song is clearly important to Hoppus, as it is one of the only songs on the album which does not feature Tom DeLonge on lead vocals at any point.

Overall, the song boasts a feel-good sound, with endearing lyrics that make you really feel for Hoppus in his unrequited love for a fictional character: "Princess Leia, where are you tonight? / And who's laying there by your side? / Every night I fall asleep with you / And I wake up alone." In the first verse, he also sings the line, "I know it sounds lame, but / she's the girl of my dreams," breaking the third wall of the character he's created in the song, and further ingratiating himself to his empathetic listeners.

9 Enthused

Track 7

The introduction to "Enthused" is as classic as it gets when it comes to blink-182 intros. It starts with a fast-paced guitar lick sandwiched on either side by some power chords and quick but hardcore drum beats, before slowing down and launching into a major-keyed chord progression that ultimately leads into yet another guitar riff. The intro lasts almost a full minute before any vocals kick in, and when they do, Tom DeLonge's voice sounds almost muted, like it still isn't meant to be the focal point of the song just yet.

"Enthused" is a song that feels shorter than it is, and I think that's a good thing, meaning we're certainly left satisfied, yet still wanting so much more.

After the absolute journey of an introduction, the lyrics finally take the spotlight, comprising just three unique verses, all relatively short but unique just the same. The lines that close out the track, "And if it's for me, another boring story / I swear I'll act enthused," are perhaps the greatest mic drop of the entire album. "Enthused" is a song that feels shorter than it is, and I think that's a good thing, meaning we're certainly left satisfied, yet still wanting so much more.

8 Waggy

Track 6

"Waggy" features some of the absolute greatest harmonies between Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge throughout blink-182's entire discography, let alone just on this album. Hoppus sings lead vocals on this song, with DeLonge's harmonies highlighting some of the most poignant lyrics throughout the song, including the first line of each chorus, and the repeated final lines of the song: "It's never over until it's done / And I don't think that you're the one."

This is a song about loss and regret, but true to blink-182 fashion, there are some dismissive, immature lyrics interspersed throughout the song that act almost as a coping mechanism to detract from the serious nature of the rest of the lyrics. Dude Ranch was released when DeLonge and Hoppus were in their mid-20s, but blink-182's entire brand as a group is all about refusing to grow up, and relishing the immaturity and unseriousness of being young. "Waggy" is the perfect microcosm for that entire theme.

7 Lemmings

Track 14

While Dude Ranch did start to slip in quality by the time the final three tracks rolled around, "Lemmings" picked up the slack for "I'm Sorry" and "Degenerate." Upon first listen, this song just sounds like a fast-paced, hectic jumble of sound, and while that isn't an entirely inaccurate description, "Lemmings" is much more intentional than many of their other tracks that also fit that description. One can envision that Mark Hoppus nearly spits the words in the verses, the frustration in his vocals is quite heavy.

By the time the chorus rolls around, that frustration seems to subside just a bit, as the lyrics adopt a pleading sort of quality, "Is it too much to ask for the things to work out this time? / I'm only asking for what is mine." The guitar riff is consistent from start to finish, grounding the lyrics in the context of that frustration in the initial verses. The final two stanzas are more of a reckoning than anything else, closing the song with a call to action and taking all the emotion that was pent-up within the song and laying it to rest.

6 Emo

Track 10

Even in a song like "Emo," which is about an unhealthy relationship which both parties are staying in out of pure ease, they still had to get in their share of profanity, lest anyone forget that this is still a blink-182 song. In their later albums, the trio had no issue tackling more serious topics like this, especially in the context of divorce, but on Dude Ranch, where the themes of youth and immaturity are so prominent, the deflection and anger are still key in the lyrics of "Emo."

Though the band has never played "Emo" live, it remains a crucial aspect of their discography. The chorus is one that can ring in your mind for days if you hear it even once, with Mark Hoppus's low-pitched, borderline droning as he sings, "She's better off sleeping on the floor / 'Cause she fell right off when all / Is said, you know / It's okay to just want more." The equally low-pitched guitar riff nicely compliments the vocals, completing a deep and heavy sound for this song which flawlessly matches its title.