14 scene records that should have easily won a Grammy

It’s no secret that the mainstream media scoffs at the words “Warped,” “scene” and “punk,” especially when they’re all lumped together. Bands from this ilk sometimes get nominated for major awards, but with the exception of acts such as Green Day, few actually win.

Here are 14 bands who should’ve won a Grammy during said cycle.

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1. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001)

It’s pretty amazing that Jimmy Eat World released their most commercially successful record almost immediately after they had been dropped from major label Capitol Records. JEW self-funded Bleed American after said gaffe, and a short two years after Clarity was released in 1999, 11 power-pop masterpieces would soon be heard the world over via the band’s new label Dreamworks. Hear you me, Jimmy Eat World are still surviving, so don’t write yourself off yet.

2. New Found Glory – Sticks And Stones (2002)

Third time’s a charm, and New Found Glory hit the (this is no understatement) big time with Sticks And Stones, an album with 12 hits and no misses. If that’s not enough for you, the two largest bands on Sad Summer Festival this year (All Time Low and the Story So Far) were literally named after lyrics and songs from this album. Just maybe you need this.

3. AFI – Sing The Sorrow (2003)

A Fire Inside won an MTV2 award for “Girl’s Not Grey,” the first single from major-label debut Sing The Sorrow, but the fact that this powerful album didn’t receive golden trophies from the Grammy committee was (and always will be) a great disappointment. Nevertheless, AFI truly earned their stripes as a touring and recording band years before 2003, and their sixth album (co-produced by the late Jerry Finn and the legendary Butch Vig) was the band’s first to go platinum. Oh, my beautiful one.

4. The Used – In Love And Death (2004)

In Love And Death, the Used’s multifaceted sophomore release, may be the band’s heaviest and mellowest record. One thing is for shit sure: It’s still the band’s most commercially successful album, proving that yesterday’s feelings still resonate today. If you had the chance to catch the band live on their most recent small club tour, you were privileged enough to hear multiple ILAD deep cuts that the band never play live.

5. Acceptance – Phantoms (2005)

2005 was the year that TRL embraced the “scene,” but it would’ve been nice if the perfect Phantoms was one of the records that profited from said coverage. Acceptance’s sole major-label outing could’ve had at least two hits in “Take Cover” and “So Contagious,” and the band’s ardent fans argue at least a few more. This conversation is over.

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6. My Chemical RomanceThe Black Parade (2006)

Grammy committee, where’s your heart?

7. Fall Out Boy – Infinity On High (2007)

Hardcore Fall Out Boy fans may scoff at this entry due to the opinion that Take This To Your Grave is the most revered FOB album and the fact that From Under The Cork Tree took the band from clubs to arenas, but Infinity On High deserves as much love as its predecessors. With 14 golden tracks, this record rose Patrick Stump’s vocals from the rock world to superstar R&B pop status. People may dissect FOB till it doesn’t mean a thing anymore, but Infinity On High was certainly band’s most accessible record at that point in time, and it set the stage for the band to do whatever the fuck they wanted for future releases.

8. Underoath – Lost In The Sound Of Separation (2008)

And now comes the least accessible entry on this list: Underoath’s Lost In The Sound Of Separation. After 2004’s catchy yet screamy They’re Only Chasing Safety elevated the band to headliner status and 2006’s dirtier yet screamier Define The Great Line kept ’em there, Lost In The Sound Of Separation proved all bets were off when both critics and fans embraced this uncomfortable, tantalizing 42 minutes of noise and melody. Drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie left the album two years later but came back swinging for the band’s comeback 2018 record, Erase Me, which, in a twist of fate, had a single nominated for a Grammy.

9. All Time Low – Nothing Personal (2009)

Seven albums later and one that’s hitting stores/DSPs early next month, All Time Low still manage to showcase many songs from their third full-length, Nothing Personal, every single night. A quick glance at past setlists shows that some of the most played ATL songs are from this monumental record, and it’s had such an effect that the band recently rerecorded the album in full for its 10th anniversary last year. Nothing personal, but few pop-punk bands have a legacy like All Time Low. They definitely should have won a Grammy for this album.

10. A Day To Remember – What Separates Me From You (2010)

A Day To Remember made the 2010s a great 10 years to remember 11 months in when What Separates Me From You came out that November, and we’ve been better off this way ever since. Pop punk and metalcore would never be the same, and ADTR are certainly the kings and chief executors of this hybrid. If the plethora of ADTR T-shirts at Self Help Fest last year wasn’t enough of an indication that the band are here to stay, try thinking of a few other bands who can consistently headline their own festival and pack the fuck out of it.

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11. Marianas Trench – Ever After (2011)

Fresh off two solid pop-punk/pop-rock albums and almost exactly a month after singer/guitarist Josh Ramsay’s monster production/co-write “Call Me Maybe” (yes, the one with Carly Rae Jepsen singing) came out, Marianas Trench released their epic grandiose conceptual pop masterpiece (outside of the theater), Ever After. While the band have a loyal cult fanbase here in the states, Marianas Trench are huge in their home country of Canada, playing hockey arenas almost as often as the teams who literally run the ice. No place like home, indeed.

12. Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal (2013)

Depending who you talk to, many thank yous or many fuck yous are given to Jordan Fish, Bring Me The Horizon’s new keyboard/songwriting addition for this divisive and melodic album. Whatever side you’re on, it’s clear that millions still stan Sempiternal despite not knowing what the hell it means. Still, the band’s full-lengths since this record elevated them to a headlining gig at the Forum in Los Angeles and a sad Grammy loss for amo’s “MANTRA.”

13. Against Me!Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014)

How cool would it have been if “FUCKMYLIFE666” won a Grammy?

14. Silverstein – I Am Alive In Everything I Touch (2015)

In crazy Silverstein fashion, the band have released two new solid full-lengths since the band’s eighth album (and Rise Records debut), I Am Alive In Everything I Touch in 2015, and the band are expected to last (at least) another 20 years. Forever consistent, Toronto’s favorite screamo sons open and close this vibrant release with odes to the band’s home city.