How come NOFX or Pennywise never became one of the Big 4 of 90's Punk Rock?

Question

I'm not sure if this is a rumor or not, but I discovered a while ago that The Offspring, Green Day, Rancid and Bad Religion are part of this category called "Big 4 of 90's Punk Rock".

I read somewhere that this version of the "Big 4" is based on popularity and record sales terms, which makes sense, but my question is, why is NOFX or Pennywise not part of it? Not only did both bands make excellent albums in the 90's, but they actually came from the same scene as The Offspring and Green Day and managed to sell at least a million records (or more than that). I think Bad Religion should be replaced because they started in 1979, before The Offspring, Green Day, Rancid, NOFX and Pennywise even existed, and instead, should be in the "Big 4 of 80's Punk Rock" category or something like that. Or maybe the "Big 4 of 90's Punk Rock" name should be changed to "Big 4 or California Punk" since all those bands came from California.

What are your opinions?

Answer 1

NOFX were much more popular than Rancid,Rancid being big four makes no sense,I love Rancid,always will go down as one of my favs but this is how I feel,I even like Rancid far more than NOFX.

Answer 2

Like the "Big 4 of thrash metal" (which features Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax), the "Big 4 of 90s Punk Rock" is based on popularity not some quality type thing or whatever, and NOFX and Pennywise don't belong in the "Big 4". Why? Because NOFX and Pennywise weren't mainstreamed enough when The Offspring, Green Day, Rancid and Bad Religion saw their first commercial success in 1994/1995. Sure, NOFX's "Punk in Drublic" album went gold but they never had any hit songs, and Pennywise never had a gold or platinum record even though they scored at least one hit ("Alien") in the 90s. Green Day and The Offspring are two bands that belong in the "Big 4 of 90s Punk Rock" because both of those bands not only helped revive the punk scene after grunge got big, but both bands have sold more than 50 million albums, and let's not forget that The Offspring's "Smash" album holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling record of all time for an independent label. Without Green Day and The Offspring, punk rock wouldn't have been successful again. Rancid belongs in the "Big 4" because they got popular around the same time as The Offspring and Green Day, achieved gold/platinum albums ("Let's Go" and "...And Come the Wolves") and has sold over half a million records. Bad Religion may have been around longer than The Offspring, Green Day and Rancid, but they belong in the "Big 4" with those bands because they not only popularized the classic California punk rock scene, but they achieved what appeared to be their first mainstream commercial success in the early 90s, even before and after The Offspring, Green Day and Rancid paid their dues, and even achieved gold status with "Stranger Than Fiction", which was a 90s album like "Dookie", "Smash" and "...And Out Come the Wolves".

Answer 3

The reason NOFX or Pennywise are not in the "Big 4" is because they never received the recognition Green Day and The Offspring deserved. Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid and Bad Religion are in the "Big 4 of 90's Punk Rock" because they were the first bands to bring punk rock back to the mainstream in the 1990's. Yeah, I know Bad Religion had been around for a long time, but they didn't become very popular until the "Stranger Than Fiction"-era, which was the same period where Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid hit the mainstream. By that time, "Against the Grain", "Generator" and "Recipe for Hate" were popular albums and almost sold as well as "Dookie", "Smash" and "...And Out Come the Wolves". Aside from being responsible for bringing punk rock back to the mainstream, Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid and Bad Religion are in the "Big 4" because, in the U.S. or worldwide market, they have sold more records than NOFX and Pennywise, managed to achieve gold or platinum status with their own albums independently or on a major label, and even sold out concerts at clubs, theaters or arenas after MTV, radio stations and numerous publications began to recognize them.



So, there you have it: it may be a ridiculous lineup, but Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid and Bad Religion belong in the "Big 4".

Answer 4

who cares? why does their value as punk artists have to be reinforced by whether or not they fall into some arbitrary 'big 4'?



don't worry about it. just enjoy it for what it is