If you were a kid in 1999, say somewhere between the ages of 8 and 16, blink-182’s Enema of the State was the most radical, profound thing you had heard up to that point in your life.
From its eye-grabbing cover art and hilariously low-brow pun of a title, to hyper-catchy angst of hits like “What’s My Age Again?,” “Adam’s Song” and especially “All The Small Things,” this album—which turns 20 today—was a holy text for a generation raised on Jackass and PacSun.
Even though I was a good eight years from entering the workforce, lyrics like “Work Sucks! I know!” seemed like the most relatable ideas in the world.
And while my tastes are so far removed from what my 9-year-old self thought was cool, and I don’t have an angsty bone left in my body, somehow, two decades later, these tunes still hold up.
Ryan is a writer, editor and vinyl collector currently based in Los Angeles. He started Mini Music Critic in 2017.