26 Best Pop Rock Bands To Listen To Right Now

We list some of the best Pop rock bands to listen to right now. The subgenre has become a melting pot of music, mainly by fusing rock sounds with other genres, and has allowed many bands to become fan favorites.

What is Pop Rock?

Pop rock grew into its own genre in the 50s with the emergence of rock ’n’ roll. It became an alternative to normal rock and roll where it was characterized by fast rhythms, strong beats, and soulful lyrics. Elvis Presley was the ”King of Rock and Roll” and was one of the first artists to popularize the genre. Early Pop rock was influenced by the beat, arrangements, and original style of rock and roll. The subgenre was then popularized by bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys and more recently, the Maroon 5. The term does not refer specifically to a single genre or sound, and its meaning is different depending on the time and place. Though some consider it less authentic than rock music due to its commercial sound and mainstream appeal.

Best Pop Rock Bands

1. Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn and keyboardist PJ Morton. Maroon 5 has sold more than 135 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

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2. OneRepublic

OneRepublic is an American, self-proclaimed “genreless”, band formed in Colorado Springs in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins. After a few years of moderate success, they drew mainstream attention with the release of their single “Apologize”. In 2007, OneRepublic released their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud. Its lead single, “Apologize”, was remixed by Timbaland, becoming a huge international success, reaching number one in sixteen countries and subsequently earning them a Grammy Award nomination.

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3. One Direction

One Direction (commonly abbreviated to 1D) is a UK-Irish boy group, active from 2010 until they went on hiatus in 2016. The original 5-member group was made up of Liam Payne from Wolverhampton, Louis Tomlinson from Doncaster, Niall Horan from Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland, Harry Styles from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire and Zayn Malik from East Bowling, Bradford. The band have won nearly 200 awards, including seven Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, and seven American Music Awards.

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4. ABBA

ABBA is a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names. ABBA were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. The group were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the first and only recording artists to receive this honour from outside an Anglophonic country.

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5. Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from the Disney Channel children’s television network and consists of three brothers from Wyckoff, New Jersey; Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas. Their song “Sucker” released on March 1, 2019, became the 34th song in history to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and became the Jonas Brothers’ first number one single on the chart.

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6. 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer (also known as 5SOS) are a 4-piece Australian pop rock/pop punk band. Formed in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2011, the band consists of Luke Hemmings (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Clifford (guitar, vocals), Calum Hood (bass guitar, vocals) and Ashton Irwin (drums, vocals). Their hit single single, “Youngblood” became the fourth highest selling Australian single of the 2010-2019 decade and is the eleventh best-selling single in Australian history, selling over five million adjusted copies worldwide within the first six months of its release.

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7. Bee Gees

The Bee Gees, originally made up of three brothers: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb (died 2012), and Maurice Gibb (died 2003), have been successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

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8. The Police

The Police was a new wave band which formed in 1977 in London, England. The band consisted of Sting (vocals, bass), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums). The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award.

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9. Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy is a band formed in 2001 in Glenview, Illinois after good friends Joe Trohman and Pete Wentz met high schooler Patrick Stump. With Wentz as the band’s lyricist and Stump as the primary composer, Fall Out Boy’s 2005 major-label breakthrough, From Under the Cork Tree, produced two hit singles, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” and “Dance, Dance”. It went double platinum, transforming the group into superstars and making Wentz a celebrity.

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10. U2

U2 is an Irish alternative rock band from Dublin formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

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11. Paramore

Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, United States in 2003. The band currently consists of Hayley Williams (vocals, keyboard), Taylor York (guitar) and Zac Farro (drums). Their self-titled fourth album released in 2013,gave the band their first number one on the US Billboard 200 and was also the number one album in the United Kingdom. It included the singles “Still Into You” and “Ain’t It Fun”, with the latter winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

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12. The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an iconic pop and rock music group formed in Hawthorne, California, United States in 1961, who are widely considered to be one of the most influential bands in rock and pop music history. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

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13. Earth, Wind and Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American funk band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Led by Maurice White, they are best known for their hits of the 1970s, among them “After the Love Has Gone”, “September,” “Reasons,” “Fantasy” and “Shining Star.” Rolling Stone has called them “innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing” and declared that the band “changed the sound of black pop”.

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14. The Script

The Script are a pop rock band which formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Danny O’Donoghue (vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums). The band has won three Meteor Ireland Music Awards and two World Music Awards and have received two Brit Award nominations.

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15. Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra is a symphonic rock band which formed in Birmingham, England in 1970. The band was formed by Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, multiple instruments), Roy Wood (multiple instruments, vocals), Richard Tandy (keyboards, vocals) and Bev Bevan (drums). In 2017, the key members of ELO (Wood, Lynne, Bevan and Tandy) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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16. Blondie

Blondie is an American rock band founded in New York City in 1974 by singer-songwriter Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk scenes of the mid-70s, developing their sound in famous NYC clubs such as CBGBs. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

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17. Chicago

Chicago is an American rock band that forms in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The band is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Chicago also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on October 16, 2020.

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18. The Mamas and the Papas

The Mamas & the Papas (credited as The Mama’s and the Papa’s on the debut album cover) were a leading vocal group of the 60s from New York. The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, releasing five albums and charting ten hit singles that hold up as well today as they did back in the sunshine era. Some of their most popular singles include “California Dreamin'”, “Monday, Monday”, and “Dedicated to the One I Love”.

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19. Supertramp

Supertramp are an English rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming themselves in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock, pop and art rock into their music. They reached their commercial peak with 1979’s Breakfast in America, which yielded the international top 10 singles “The Logical Song”, “Breakfast in America”, “Goodbye Stranger”, and “Take the Long Way Home”.

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20. The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. Their first single as the Who, “I Can’t Explain” (1965), reached the UK top ten, and was followed by a string of hit singles including “My Generation” (1965), “Substitute” (1966) and “Happy Jack” (1966).