Remembering AbsolutePunk: The Forum That Built a Scene
Remembering AbsolutePunk: The Forum That Built a Scene
If you were an emo or pop-punk kid in the early 2000s, chances are you spent way too many late nights lurking on AbsolutePunk.net. Before social media took over, AbsolutePunk was the online home for fans of bands like Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, and Fall Out Boy. It wasn’t just a forum—it was where scenes were born, friendships were made, and heated debates over best album of the year raged for weeks.
At Elder Emo Merch, AbsolutePunk is more than a nostalgic memory. It’s part of our DNA. Our love for emo, pop punk, and alternative music—and our mission to pass it down to the next generation—was shaped on those message boards.
What Was AbsolutePunk.net?
AbsolutePunk (often just called AP.net) was a music-focused community and news site founded by Jason Tate in 2000. It started out as a Blink-182 fan page and quickly grew into a sprawling platform covering all things punk, emo, indie, and alternative. It wasn’t just about the big names; it gave countless smaller bands their first big exposure.
The site had it all:
- Daily news updates about your favorite bands
- Exclusive album streams (before Spotify was even a thing)
- Daily news updates about your favorite bands
- Exclusive album streams (before Spotify was even a thing)
- Honest reviews and interviews
- Forums where bands, labels, and fans collided.
If you were deep in the scene, AbsolutePunk was basically your homepage.
Why AbsolutePunk Mattered
Long before Twitter fights and TikTok trends, AbsolutePunk helped shape the tastes of a generation. It wasn’t just a site; it was a community built around passion for the music. Band members would pop into threads to answer questions, rumors would start (and end) in real-time, and major album leaks were dissected within minutes.
For elder emos like us, AbsolutePunk was a second home—the place you checked after school, before shows, and during long boring classes when you could sneak onto the computer lab’s internet.
Where Did AbsolutePunk Go?
In 2016, AbsolutePunk officially shut down and was folded into Chorus.fm, Jason Tate’s broader music and culture website. While the spirit of the community lives on in new forms, there’s no replacing those old-school AP.net days—the signature red and black layout, the endless “favorite album” threads, and the feeling that you were part of something bigger than yourself.
Keeping the Scene Alive
At Elder Emo Merch, we’re all about keeping that spirit alive. Whether it’s through our emo baby clothes, toddler tees that throw back to bands like Blink-182 and Taking Back Sunday, or nostalgic collections for elder emos, we’re here for the kids who grew up on AbsolutePunk and want to pass that passion on.
Because no matter how old we get, a part of us will always be arguing about whether From Under the Cork Tree or Deja Entendu was the more important record.
(It’s Deja Entendu, obviously.)
Final Thought:
If AbsolutePunk was part of your youth, you’re in the right place. Keep the music alive. Keep the memories alive. And maybe throw a Stink-182 onesie on your kid while you’re at it.