Sum 41

With a retro-punk sound and a frathouse sense of humor, the Canadian group Sum 41 was part of the commercial punk wave that included Green Day and Blink 182. The band's founder, singer/guitarist Deryck Whibley, was a teenage rebel and skateboarder who grew up in the Toronto suburb of Ajax, regularly sneaking out of the house to catch his favorite punk bands. He formed a rap trio at age eleven, then recruited other punk-obsessed teens to play in his fledgling band; by 1998 the lineup had stabilized with him, guitarist Dave Baksh, bassist Jason McCaslin and drummer Steve Jocz. They built a following through demos and live shows, even releasing a live DVD before signing to a label. Their live shows were already renowned for nakedness, instrument-switching, boozy singalongs and general shenanigans. The Island label won a bidding war for the band in 1999, at which time most of the members were just turning twenty. Containing a roughly equal number of serious punk-metal tracks and outright sendups, the debut EP Half Hour of Power began a hit streak that would last through the decade; the first full album All Killer No Filler (which was only three minutes longer than the prior EP) had their breakthrough hit in "Fat Lip," which sounded like a metallized version of early Beastie Boys. The band played 300 shows in 2001 and continued its success with the next album, Does This Look Infected, and were now embracing video as well: The 2004 single "The Hell Song" had an all-star cast of animated action figures. But the song itself was dead serious, supporting a friend with HIV. The move to a more serious presentation continued with the next album, Chuck, named for a UN staffer who rescued the band when fighting broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were doing charity work. Following Baksh's departure, the next two albums were made as a trio with Whibley doing most of the heavy work, 2011's more downcast Screaming Bloody Murder was partly inspired by his divorce from Avril Lavigne. This would be the last studio album for five years and all was not well behind the scenes: Whibley injured his back and was temporarily unable to play; and would later reveal that he spent part of 2014 in a coma due to excessive drinking. After regaining his health he reconvened the band (eventually with Baksh again) for a 2016 tour that was billed as Don't Call It a Sum-Back; this was followed a year later by an album-anniversary tour dubbed Does This Still Look Infected?. A newly sober Whibley was now evincing more positivity onstage, while the new songs took a more political turn: The comeback albums 13 Voices and Order in Decline both put the band's metal side forward with lyrics taking on Trump-era concerns.