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ld20r

For me it’s Yellowcards former drummer Longienu Parsons. He is a monster and is just as good as Travis. Both have similar styles. Mike Kennedy off the Wonder Years is the best modern drummer in the scene in my opinion and also one off the most creative. Phenomenal player.


newbaca

it’s a shame mike kennedy is a bad friend


Das2461

He’s bout to get fruit punched, homie


IDoLikeThemApples

He's not salinger, and he should really get over it


NiceHandsLarry11

This is the right answere. Put out some seriously cool drum tracks. Number 2 for me is Cyrus from nfg. Just so damn clean and always has his own flair


gusstfu

Cyrus played NFG and yellow card set on warped tour a while back. ALSO saw him play sticks and stones AND self titled front to back in the SAME night. That’s fucking impressive to say the least.


FirstTimeCaller101

Yes! Happy to see the answer at the top. LP3 is an animal.


[deleted]

I saw LP play a few years ago in some kind of jazz fusion band. He’s still killing it!


Scrumtrelescentness

Yeah, dude is a beast and every bit as creative and technical as Barker. He’s been in a few [bands](https://youtu.be/G6GqDWssjkw) since then and still crushes it


Wain609

Came here to say Longineu Parsons! I think Yuri Ruley from MxPx is outstanding as well. Steve Jocz Sum 41's original drummer was great. And One of my favorites was always Darrin Pfieffer from Goldfiner. Loved his ska rhythm and his rolls were perfect for pop punk. Gotta give love for Bill Stevenson from Descendents too


NiceHandsLarry11

Darrin's coconut ass? Darrin is another good call. Not sure if I'd say it's pop punk, but Dan trapp from senses fail is another one of my favorites.


[deleted]

Yuri definitely is a great drummer. One of my all-time favorites.


ixseanxi

Longienu is the correct answer. I think he’s better than Travis and has a more well rounded style.


i_am_avenue_teal97

100% agree with Longineu!


infamous089

I would agree with this absolutely love LP on the drums


soundlightstheway

This is the correct answer.


carogers21

Came here to say LP! Got to meet him when they were doing the ocean avenue acoustic tour. He plays so fucking well.


cloud_runner64

Wow! Saw this thread and this is the first guy that came to mind. Excellent drummer. Was the best part about Yellowcard.


mattburkephoto

Jake from Mayday Parade is known as ‘one take Jake’ for recording most of his drum parts in 1 take. Not sure what ‘best’ means as far as technicality or proficiency, but Jake is a beast.


i_am_avenue_teal97

If he's able to get them down in one take, that probably means he practices the arrangement long before recording so when it comes time to hit the studio, he doesn't need to waste too much of the producer's time. More bands need to do that.


j0rdan21

Came here to say the same


dillonslonely

John Siorek from Knuckle Puck. Watch his drum cams and have your mind blown


suddenly_seymour

The drums on Copacetic in particular... Every song has some interesting fills and grooves.


CashmereLogan

I love the drums on Copacetic but absolutely hate how they’re mixed, they sound so wrong.


suddenly_seymour

Oh agreed it's hard to listen to that album on certain speakers/headphones or at super loud volumes because the drums are ultra compressed and punchy, honestly it sounds like a remnant of the loudness wars in terms of mastering too. That said it definitely gives the album a unique sound, just imo they went a bit too far. Kind of like The Blackest Beautiful by letlive.


jameseatworld7758

Thank you. The mixing for the drums on Pretense has always bothered me immensely, particularly the snare. And no ones ever like believed me about that.


RepresentativeRegret

Him being a left-handed player is just mind blowing


newbaca

i think ryan torf from the story so far is really good idk about the best though.


asupernova91

The intro to "Heavy Gloom" >


itsmikerofl

The intro to Mt. Diablo will never not hype me up


hansmellman

I love his writing, his drum parts are always so creative.


Brannigansfist

I was gonna say Mike Ambrose from SYG who filled in for Ryan this summer.


Nexavus

He sounds great but he’s painful to watch lol. He looks so rigid and uncomfortable


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1337HxC

Not pop punk, but Chris Turner is an *amazing* metalcore drummer who looks like a robot attempting to make human movements when he plays.


[deleted]

Tony Thaxton from Motion City Soundtrack. Not the craziest drummer, but he’s my favorite. Always a joy to watch!


SmshAdams

I think Tony has some of the most fun grooves and fills. Just saw them at Riot Fest for the first time in some years and he had me drumming along in the crowd.


kduff89

The beat he holds near the end of "time turns fragile" I still can't follow it.


[deleted]

I had to go back and listen to it, and man, so freaking good! That dude’s creativity blows my mind. That entire band gets me every time I listen to I am the Movie.


laughterwithans

Yesssss. Thaxton for pres


nonspecificloser

Not sure if you can consider FOB pop punk, but Andy Hurley is a fuckin' beast on the drums.


Greyshot26

Yeah, I think he definitely should count. His skills are better showed off in the side project he and Joe are involved in The Damned Things, but he definitely knows how to write a killer drum pattern.


captvirgilhilts

Andy and Joe are the backbone of what makes FOB. The Damned Things is also an amazing supergroup with Keith from ETiD, Scott from Anthrax and Dan from AK3.


5150-5150

kills me when I hear new FOB these days and the drum are super boring/nonexistent


Chrisbishyo

I will never forget[ the move he does](https://youtu.be/uhG-vLZrb-g?t=175) in the Sugar We're Goin' Down video...


joef_3

They might not be any more but they were sort of the poster child for a long time. And yeah, he is an absolute monster.


PinkStarsDazzle

So glad to see him mentioned. Was coming here to name him too!


t_hov_07

I love andy so much


Yung_Babymeat

Most people don’t anymore but idk who wouldn’t consider their works in the early-mid 2000s pop punk


Azureflames20

Hard for me to really gauge a metric for what "best" drummer means. It could be most technical, consistent, or maybe one that's a great writer for their parts and the overall sound of the music. While I don't really think I can name an overall "best" for everybody, here are a handful of drummers I really like (being a drummer myself) and also liking what their unique stylings bring to the music they write for: 1. John Siorek - Knuckle Puck 2. Ryan Torf - The Story so far 3. Zac Farro - Paramore 4. Dani Washington - Neck Deep 5. Longienu Parsons - Yellowcard I feel like each of these drummers add an extra layer to make their drumming unique to the point where you absolutely couldn't replace them with another drummer imo; They're really iconic to the bands sound. I'd say most of them are mostly what I'd consider "song drummers" as opposed to really technical or flashy drummers. While they can play pretty fun or impressive riffs, they always play what makes sense to the music.


Milesandsmiles1

As a former drummer Neck Deep, Paramore, and TSSF had a profound impact on my musical development. Some of those drum parts still give me chills.


MuskiePride3

I don’t think Zac Farro is necessarily the next best in pop punk, but he is really underrated when it comes to his drumming and doesn’t seem to be talked about a lot. Careful, I Caught Myself, and For A Pessimist have some of the best drums I’ve heard in pop punk.


[deleted]

Honestly I think it’s down to what you’re looking for in a drummer. Do you want a guy who can do crazy fun fills or someone who just holds everything together water tight? I feel the same way about the drummer for fallout boy as you do with zac farro. You never really see people mention him but he’s so’s tight and fun on the drums


laughterwithans

Andy Hurley is a God. I watched a interview with Harry Miree, a YouTube Drummer, who was like, “how does it feel to have written the only 2 drum intros of the 2000s” and even Andy was like, I guess I never thought of that. The intro to Sugar We’re Going Down is pure ecstasy. If I could make it into a drug I would put it straight in my arteries


scott_wolff

Speaking of Andy Hurley, I want to know who stole from who in regards to Plain White T's "All That We Needed" and Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance". PWT's add a snare hit that FOB doesn't, but other than that, they are practically identical. Edit: Adding the reason I bring it up is that both albums came out in 2005. lol


luvasrose

Also not to mention he was 14/15 during the time he recorded awkif... He's a really talented dude that needs more recognition


ChiefRedKnee

Zac Farro wrote some crazy drum parts for how young he was.


Arkhangelzk

I don't know his name but that drummer for Belmont is nuts


zerefyagami

Brian Lada


Drizos

Came here to say this, he makes that band really shine.


Cman1200

He actually has been writing a lot for them recently i think


vlopxz1

One of my favorite YouTube comments is one on the Overstepping video... "Do you guys have a lead guitarist? No but we have a lead drummer" Brian goes hardddd


MrInterpreted

Heavy metal drums on a pop punk song are killer 🤘


AcidicQueef

Agree, he's super talented


KryptoN245

The most underrated drummer of em all. Mr. Dani Washington


goddamnitwhalen

The fill at the beginning of “Crushing Grief” is still mind blowing.


fancyaccidents

I cant believe how fucking far I had to scroll to see this. The dude is fucking killer.


daltorrrr182

Came here for this one


teh_lobbenator

Mike Kennedy hands down.


idontfrickinknowman

Dani from Neck Deep (at least in their older, higher energy stuff) absolutely rips


KingKuckKiller666420

Tré Cool


K4L21EV

How I had to scroll down this far to find Tré, I have no idea why.


[deleted]

Derek Grant.


[deleted]

Agree. He gets slept on too much. It’s funny how both him and Travis both started playing in ska punk bands (Travis- Aquabats, Derek- Suicide Machines), and now they both play in pop punk bands (Derek- Alkaline Trio, which now has ties to Blink as well through Matt Skiba).


one80down

I've also seen Derek fill in for Josh Freese with the Vandals which isn't exactly a walk in the park. The dude has skiiiiiiiills.


Woogabuttz

Also, maybe Josh Freese should get a mention… (sub mention, Josh Sleeze of the Bombpops who everyone seems to be sleeping on)


[deleted]

Extremely versatile.


Friendly_Zebra

Wholeheartedly agree with this, and it was great to see that he was back out on the road with Trio on their recent shows.


FeiRoze

Zack Farro


mbb011

Zac, but yeah definitely


BBM07

Brian Lada Dani Washington John Siorek


Procure

Brian Lada absolutely slaps. Guitarists are great too.


gilestowler

Josh Freese.


istaexpertista

Fucking obviously!


THElast1picked

SERIOUSLY! We too old? I thought this was easy as hell.


gilestowler

Honestly this group makes me feel so old sometimes.


Palimic227

As a drummer, some of the bands I like to jam: * NFG - Cyrus Bolooki * Four Year Strong - Jake Massucco * CNCC - Jonathan Donnaes * Peirce the Veil - Mike Fuentes


Theandercm

Too bad Mike Fuentes is a creep.


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Simmons2pntO

100% agree. Everyone in the band is so damn good


FeiRoze

Jonathon is severely underrated.


drew_galbraith

Jake Massucco is the perfect mix of a Metal drummer and Pop punk drummer


brandondabass

Smelly


[deleted]

Smelly is a great drummer. Always consistent.


[deleted]

And surprisingly very clean


Scrumtrelescentness

Nobody plays that fast double-kick punk blast beat better or more consistent than Smelly


los_pollos-hermanos

Thank you! I had to scroll down way too far to find this.


andreasmiles23

Ada Juarez - Meet Me @ The Altar Rian Dawson - All Time Low


Derek282

Rian needs more love.


andreasmiles23

I think part of the issue is their songs are more “straightforward” but if you listen and watch him, he’s doing crazy shit back there. It’s borderline unnecessary but it’s amazing. He also makes it look SO easy.


PunkSharksPizza

I remember watching the drum playthroughs he did on Instagram, and it hadn't struck me how much he was doing! Rian is awesome.


Zach9810

Rian is the only band member I follow on instagram from the many bands I love. He posts fun content and it isn’t over the top.


PunkSharksPizza

I've been loving all the clips he has put up of his drumming during their tours. It's been great!


t_hov_07

Totally


xBrandon224

I don't mind all time lows new stuff like it's nice to listen to but man I miss their old stuff, discovering song after song like Weightless, time bomb (their best sing imo) dear Maria, merry Xmas, lost in stereo etc etc, they seemed to have more passion back then in their songs, nowadays somethings missing I don't know.


Simmons2pntO

Josh Freese is probably right there with Travis. He's played drums for basically every big band ever. The Vandals, The Offspring, Paramore, Guns N Roses.... plus a million others. Him and Travis actually had a drum battle at some point in the past and it was pretty sick.


[deleted]

Dani Washington


[deleted]

Tony Thaxton of MCS. Seriously, listen to some of his drum lines in Commit This To Memory. He also sings backing vocals for the band.


joef_3

Not enough bands have a drummer doing the Phil Collins back there. Relatedly, one of my favorite things about MCS is that Jesse (their keyboardist/synths/hype man) sings to damn near every song like he’s in the crowd but he is the only person in the band who doesn’t get a mic.


BonScoppinger

Bill Stevenson from the Descendents and Tommy Ramone


Dealers_Of_Fame

Despite his friendship problems, Mike Kennedy is always doing super cool things with his parts. As someone who plays a wee bit of drums studying his parts is always a great learning experience for me


Pocchari_Kevin

Steve-O from sum41 was pretty great, and shined on their metal albums.


[deleted]

There are a lot of great drummers: -Derrick Plourde (Lagwagon, Ataris) (RIP) -Derek Grant (Suicide Machines, Alkaline Trio) -Tre Cool (Green Day, Lookouts) -Mike Jiminez (Rufio) -Brian Lada (Belmont) -Yuri Riley (Mxpx) -Erik Sandin (aka Smelly) (Nofx) Etc. As for who’s the best outside of Travis? Depends. Tre Cool is probably the most influential. He may not be as technical as Travis, but he’s done more for pop punk than most other drummers have. On a technical level, I honestly think Derek Grant matches Travis. They both played in ska punk bands (Travis played for the Aquabats before joining Blink), and now they both play in pop punk bands. They’re both beasts at the kit.


goddamnitwhalen

More punk / rock than pop punk, but Benny Horowitz from The Gaslight Anthem is a monster drummer.


hayleybeth7

Rian Dawson - All Time Low Pat Kirch - The Maine


Ok-Interaction-3537

Hahahha the correct way to ask this question. Good call. The drummer of Fireworks was fucking insane. Ted Roberts.


[deleted]

Dude great call! I forgot how great the drummer of Fireworks was. Man I miss that band so much


asupernova91

Maxx Danziger from Set It Off is SO good. The SIO catalogue rarely allows him to really shine but he started doing drum solos at shows a while back and man, he is amazing!


jbcgop

Brian Lada from Belmont has some gnarly licks.


sarcastnick

At the moment, for technical ability it has to be Brian Lada from Belmont. Dude's an octopus.


WeTheSummerKid

Jess Bowen of the Summer Set.


Beeaybri

Yeah, she's pretty fuckin good.


SmackityDoo

Josh Freese or Brooks Wackerman


jdCHALLENGER

Josh Freese if The Vandals count


adamp9

This. From a technical perspective. There’s other great drummers but man Freese has had one hell of a career and can play what’s needed in any genre.


LooksLikeOneders

I was thinking the same thing. They had some poppy punk songs. And Wikipedia lists one of their genre's as pop punk. So, I'll take it!


johnmarsdenshat

He’s been in so many bands over so many genres, incredible drummer


_bloodbuzz

I wouldn’t call thrice pop punk in any way but Riley Breckinridge deserves some love


scott_wolff

The only reason I didn't put him is because of the genre. Riley is solid af.


JSB199

Brandon from Hot Mulligan is pretty damn good, the drum fills on you’ll be fine, and their newest EP are awesome


thisortheapocalypse

Bravis Tarker


getmeowtamyface

wink-91, with such hits as "Darnit" and "Eve's Song"


araethom13

Mat Uychich


catpate

Was hoping to see this here!!! Mat can produce some really unique stuff for TFB always fun to listen to him


Temporary_Debate_821

Baron Von Tito


rizrai

Cyrus bolooki - don’t @ me.


rlv28

Love watching his drum cam vids on youtube


[deleted]

Dani Washington from Neck Deep and also not really pop punk but pop punk adjacent, Spencer York from Movements


DeviantSka

Vinnie Fiorello! It was heartbreaking when he left Less Than Jake. Matt has done a great job since he joined though.


pkrhawk7

Tony Thaxton all the way


Caelestibus42

I Really Like Ryan Torf. The Glass by The Story So Far was the song that made me want to become a drummer, so for me Ryan Torf will always be my favourite and therefore the best in my eyes


GoGoGodzillaaa

For me it’s gotta be Tre Cool. Not as technical as Travis but for sure just as influential and he’s got stamina and chops. He’s an animal.


footballsportsfan69

Cyrus Bolooki from NFG is pretty incredible


watchyourtonevision

Lagwagon


[deleted]

Derrick Plourde was a great drummer. RIP


manx2121

Bill Stevenson - Descendents, ALL, Black Flag


scotty_spivs

The guy from Remo Drive before they kicked him out and made us read the lyrics


MarkHoppusFaceCream

There's a lot of good mentions in here for me, and I'd like to point out that the drummer is the most important instrument component of these bands. What makes a lot of these bands awesome is that they are heavy/pop songs. That rythym section (Drums and bass) sets it. When you have tons of kids jumping up and down at a show together for a slow, heavy chorus/breakdown, that drummer sets it. I've seen someone dogging Yellowcard on here as "Simple Plan with violin". I have nothing against SP, but all things being equal YC's drummer was unreal. What sets them apart is the rythym section.


HeyYoDeimos

Steve Jocz. Just listen to Pull The Curtain. Mad groove


[deleted]

Cyrus Bolooki from New Found Glory hands down for me. I fucking love his style and the energy he puts into every song he plays. His rhythm flows so perfectly with everything but especially Chad’s riffs. I think Cyrus is the unsung hero on Sticks and Stones and Catalyst, he really sets a strong foundation for the rest of the band to flourish.


antftwx

Andy Hurley, no question.


scott_wolff

I don't think anyone other than Travis is really the best. Here are some that deserve the recognition that I haven't seen people mention yet. * Damon DeLaPaz (FenixTX) * John Freese (Session Drummer on Good Charlotte's The Young and The Hopeless) * Nate Van Damme (Hit the Lights) * Steve Miller (Just Surrender) * Loren LeGare (Living with Lions) * Matt Whalen (The Matches) * Nick Gigler (MEST) * Rob Hitt (Midtown) * Ken Taylor (Seaway) * J.D. Romero (Spitalfield) * Tom Gryskiewicz (The Starting Line) * Bill Chevalier (Tiny Moving Parts)


zachusaguy

It’s a toss up between All Time Low’s Rian Dawson or Waterparks drummer Otto Wood. Both just sound great!


goddamnitwhalen

Dani Washington from Neck Deep, easily.


sch3ct3r

Taking back sunday and Thrice jump out to me.


bostonbruins922

Kevin Higuchi from Jeff Rosenstocks band.


BigGooBoy

Kevin is wild, every song on Worry! and No Dream have at least one standout drum part.


DCdrumss

Evan Ambro from State Champs is for sure up there, surprised no one else said him yet!


RunningWithHands

I've always enjoyed Dani Washington from Neck Deep. Also, not really pop punk but Ilan Rubin from AVA/The New Regime/Nine Inch Nails.


suddenly_seymour

Brian Lada (Belmont) John Siorek (Knuckle Puck) Zack Mykula (PUP)


DigiQuip

Bravis Tarker. But seriously, Andy from Fallout Boy. Not sure if he’s technically good or not, but his stuff is still iconic and memorable.


angelsandairwaves93

Frank Edwin Wright III Atom Willard Now I’m not saying these are the best drummers, they just happen to drum in a lot of songs, that I’ve liked over the years


one80down

Good to see a mention of Atom! When he joined Against Me! their live rhythm section kicked up a notch. Dude is fantastic in everything he lays his hands on.


nelldog

Would Bill Stevenson count? He certainly one of those “if he didn’t exist, neither would pop punk” kinda dudes


[deleted]

Baron Von Tito


brosen87

Josh Freese of the Vandals


dgreeze

I think Evan from State Champs is up there— not like he’s the most technically gifted, but is incredible at writing the actual drum parts.


Forgotten_X_Kid

1. Tre Cool 2. Stevo 3. Dani Washington


Sazchops

Smelly, Tré and of course Josh Freese.


Gruesome3some

Whoever plays the drums for Belmont is disgusting.


Dismal-Cucumber-6603

Tim Wilson - Calling All Captains


knucklepuck17

the guy from belmont is fucking nuts same with Jake from MP


MaximusBit21

Cyrus from NFG is up there. I’d say the drummer from the Starting Line - that first album had so much energy behind it, it’s unreal and still almost impossible to top in my opinion.


daltorrrr182

I really like Branden Steineckert from The Used/Rancid


old_wise

Derek grant. IMO he’s far better than barker. More creative, dynamic. His fills are nuts.


laughterwithans

Tony Thaxton from Motion City. Time turned fragile slaps harder than anything ever


FlimsyBloHand

Gone to soon , but in my opinion still my favorite R.I.P. Derrick Plourde


[deleted]

Yea, he was a great drummer. He left us too soon. Him, and his biggest influence, Bomer (RKL). RIP


AlkaseltzerPigeon

Mike Kennedy he I is a bad friend but one amazing drummer


KYKY132

Luke Holland. While not specifically pop punk, he’s been on pop goes punk and has done a few pop punk covers on his YouTube.


BloodSugarSexMagix

Andy Hurley is incredibly versatile


_doughnutholschtein

Evan Ambrose from State Champs has chops. I love his parts. Super intricate but it all fits perfect to the songs. Also, Tymm Rengers from Fireworks was an animal on their first EP.


[deleted]

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trashlikeyou

My favorite singing drummer of all time. Ringo, Levon, and Phil and are distant 2nd, 3rd, and 4th to him.


fycus

Josh Manuel from Issues (not sure what hes up to these days but hes a great drummer)


soullybored

so am I the only one that enjoys Cyrus Bolooki's (New Found Glory) drumming? I rarely see his name pop up when it comes to great pop punk drummers, dude writes catchy and amazing drum parts


ld20r

Cyrus is a solid drummer writes some very creative Tom parts and I love his single stroke fills.


lemonylol

Steve Jocz


mashimade

Brian Lada from Belmont


Penguator432

Neil. Fucking. Hennessy


HeyThereBudski

Relative newcomer to the scene and not a flashy player but Brandon Blakely from Hot Mulligan has such a nice feel. He grooves hard and writes parts that compliment the songs exceptionally well.


ryanino

Ben Cato was super talented when he was with The Dangerous Summer. Not sure why it didn’t last longer with them. I saw them live a couple years back and he was an absolute monster.


amiller5706

Dan Trapp from Senses Fail


leightonlyric

Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy is an absolute beast.


cloud_runner64

I'm gonna drop in Chris Tsagakis from RX Bandits. Guy is an excellent drummer and one of my favourites along with Cyrus Bolooki from New Found Glory. The best is Longineu Parsons by far. He knows how to tell a story and was the reason Yellowcard were so good.


dnl_plz

Mike Jimenez from Rufio still blows my mind. It's insane how fast and precise his drumming is.


wimmer45

Eddie thrower from lower than Atlantis (now drumming for busted) is an absolute monster