Olivia Rodrigohad a massive role in reviving pop-punk music when she hit the music scene in 2021. Fromcovering No Doubt songsto singing with Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette,Olivia Rodrigo has become a Gen-Z rockstar.Her debut album,SOUR,went to number one on theBillboardHot 100, and its success led to even more rock-inspired hits from the singer.
Her second album,GUTS,furthered her status as a pop-punk icon, and withRodrigo’s third album rumoredto be on the way,her music is only becoming more influential.From her teenage anthems onSOURto her more matureGUTShits, Olivia Rodrigo has an impressive portfolio of pop-punk anthems to choose from.
10Obsessed
GUTS (Spilled) (2024)
After the success ofGUTS, Olivia Rodrigo releasedGUTS (Spilled)six months later. “Obsessed,” originally a secret track on theGUTSlimited edition vinyl, made it onto the deluxe album.The track is the most rock-inspired song she’s released yet,with heavy drums, electric guitars, and angsty vocals. In the song, Rodrigo sings about her raging jealousy towards her partner’s ex-girlfriend.
While most of Rodrigo’s music takes inspiration from pop-punk music of the 90s and 2000s,“Obsessed” feels like a pop-heavy metal song.It’s a little repetitive and much darker than her other music, but it’s also an impressive transition into a new style of pop-punk.
9Love Is Embarrassing
GUTS (2023)
One of the more childish songs ofGUTSis “Love Is Embarrassing.” However, this was exactly Rodrigo’s intention, as the song is about all the embarrassing moments in love that she replays in her head before going to bed at night.The singer references staying in bed for a week after a guy told her he needed spaceand nearly starting a third World War when her ex moved on to someone new. The song is very tongue-in-cheek, with Rodrigo understanding how ridiculous and overdramatic her behavior was.
8Get Him Back
In “Get Him Back,” Olivia Rodrigo grapples with contradicting feelings. On one hand, she misses her ex and wants him back in her life. On the other hand,she hates him for what he did to her and wants to get revenge.The song is a double entendre that plays out well. Aside from its clever message, Olivia Rodrigo makes some interesting vocal choices, too.
“I wanna get him back
I wanna make him really jealous, wanna make him feel bad
Oh, I wanna get him back
‘Cause then again, I really miss him, and it makes me real sad.”
The singer speaks the verses and sings the choruses, and also seems to have a filter over her voice. When she performs the song live, she recreates the recording by starting the song off singing into a megaphone.The song feels like it belongs in an early 2000s high school rom-comand, in fact, even appeared in the trailer for 2024’sMean Girls.
7Jealousy, Jealousy
SOUR (2021)
SOURwas Olivia Rodrigo’s introduction to the world, and “Jealousy, Jealousy” was the perfect expression of her teenage angst. From its rock production to the resentment in her voice, it’s the perfect anthem for any bitter and envious teenager.Teens, and even adults, are under a lot of pressure these days to make their lives seem extravaganton social media. However, few are bold enough to admit that the pressure to keep up is exhausting.
Olivia Rodrigo’s raw honesty in “Jealousy, Jealousy” is refreshing. Rodrigo grew up as a Disney Channel star and acquired fame and wealth at a young age, so if she was feeling jealous of other people’s amazing lives, then imagine what the average teenager is feeling. “Jealousy, Jealousy"speaks to the generation that grew up with Instagram and TikTokas normalities in their daily life.
6So American
GUTS Spilled (2024)
WhileGUTS (Spilled)included all the secret tracks from the limited editionGUTSvinyl, it included one brand-new song. “So American” was not only never before heard but Olivia Rodrigo’s first officially released love song. Not only is it adorable, but it’s very personal to her.Just like Taylor Swift’sLovertrack “London Boy,“Rodrigo drops plenty of clues that the song is about her British boyfriend.The former Disney actresshas been dating actor Louis Partridge since late 2023 and seems to be deeply in love with him.
“So American” is a perfect representation of their relationship and proves that, as much as Rodrigo loves to express angst in her music,she can write about being happy, too.The song also has an aspect of insecurity that only young love could have, as Rodrigo questions if she’s coming off too strong with her love confession. Rodrigo’s lovey-dovey lyrics are accompanied by an incredible bass and drum beat, fitting right into her pop-punk catalog.
After releasing"Vampire,” a much more pop-inspired song, Rodrigo released her secondGUTSsingle, “Bad Idea, Right?” The song was a return to the pop-punk sound Rodrigo built her career on. Fans have speculated about who the song could be about, many assuming herHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriescostar Joshua Bassett is the inspiration.
However, the song is clever and appealing without Rodrigo specifying the subject. The singer’s young audience of teens and 20-somethings can relate to the feeling ofwanting to reconnect with an ex despite the consequences.In the song, Rodrigo admits it’s wrong for her to go back to her ex, but she does it anyway, and her self-awareness makes the song comical rather than cringeworthy.
4Good 4 U
Olivia Rodrigo became an overnight success in the music industry when she released her breakup ballad “Driver’s License.” However, she became a pop-punk icon when she releasedSOUR’s third single, “Good 4 U.” The song took over the airwaves as listeners either deeply resonated with it or couldn’t stop themselves from dancing along to the upbeat hit. This time,Rodrigo left her sadness behind and channeled her rage toward this person who broke her heart.
The song drew instant comparisons to 2000s pop-punk band Paramore’s “Misery Business,” proving that Rodrigo is the modern-day pop-punk princess. Four years later,“Good 4 U” is still a classic, and while Rodrigo’s moved on from the breakup, she still channels her teenage rage every time she sings it live.
While Taylor Swift built her career on singing about her high school crushes, Olivia Rodrigo had a different high school experience as a homeschooled kid. In “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl,” Rodrigo sings about thestereotypes of homeschooled kids having to interact in the real world. The singer expresses feeling socially awkward and like an outcast since she never gained the life experience and social cues most people learn in school. WhenGUTSwas released, Olivia Rodrigo was no longer a teenager, but “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl” proves she can still channel her youth and frustration into her music.
The song is relatable to anyone feeling socially awkward, even if they did attend a normal school. Rodrigo sings aboutnot knowing how to start conversations and embarrassing herselfin front of others. The most popular and comical line from the song is “Everything I do is tragic, every guy I like is gay.” The song feels just like something that would have taken over national radio stations in the early 2000s.
2All-American Bitch
Olivia Rodrigo didn’t hold back with the opening track onGUTS. Instead, she went full force into pop-punk, defining the kind of albumGUTSwould be. This time, she had a more mature perspective, asthe song deals with being a woman in the world, especially in the spotlight. The song speaks to Rodrigo’s mostly female fanbase, touching on the pressure to be perfect. The satirical lyrics address the expectations to be nurturing, like a mother figure, but also easily exploited for financial gain.
Rodrigo discusses the contrasting positions of being “light as a feather” but also “stiff as a board.” The lyrics are a metaphor for needing to be everything that everyone else wants from her. However, by the bridge, Rodrigo admits that in order to live up to these expectations without losing her mind, she screams on the inside.The bridge is one of the best parts as she actually starts screamingto release all of her rage. However, by the end, she’s back to singing about how grateful and perfect she is. It’s a genius response to society’s views toward women.
1Brutal
Olivia Rodrigo openedSOURwith her best pop-punk song yet. The production of the song’s intro is beautiful and pleasantly misleading.The song begins with a violin solo before transitioning into heavy electric guitars.It’s a perfect metaphor for how teenagers often feel like they need to mask their anger. However, Rodrigo let it all out in the studio the day she recorded “Brutal.”
“I feel like no one wants me
And I hate the way I’m perceived
I only have two real friends
And, lately, I’m a nervous wreck.”
Like “Jealousy, Jealousy,” Olivia Rodrigo forgoes pretending to be a perfect teenager and admits to all her insecurities and fears. She even calls out the capitalist society, a normality for pop-punk singers, with the line “I’m so tired that I might / quit my job, start a new life / and they’d all be so disappointed / ‘cause who am I if not exploited.“She also questions why her teenage years didn’t feel like the teenage dreameveryone always talks about.
Each lyric feels like a line out of Olivia Rodrigo’s diaryor a therapy session. It’s like a long rant about all the frustrating elements of being alive. While it feels true to a teenage girl, it’s also a feeling anyone living in this crazy world can resonate with. From the production to its meaning,Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal” is the epitome of pop-punk.
