HALE: I think that it's always been a really great outlet for angst because of some of the, like, conventions of that kind of music. PERALTA: That's music writer Chasity Hale. God, it's brutal out here.ĬHASITY HALE, BYLINE: I think that the sort of pop punk tradition really lends itself to expressing these difficult feelings. RODRIGO: (Singing) They say these are the golden years, but I wish I could disappear. They're social commentary about the state of the world and what it means to grow up in 2021. TOUROS: The angry teenage girl is not a new phenomenon, but I think what's especially interesting in this new crop of artists is that the songs that they're writing are not just about heartbreak and romantic trysts. You bought a new car, and your career's really taking off. RODRIGO: (Singing) Getting everything you want. And I think it does have a lot to do with we're hitting a new cycle in which the young women who grew up with pop punk are now coming of age and writing their own songs. She says part of it is that pop punk music is actually cool again.ĬYRENA TOUROS, BYLINE: This is such a great year for female rage, especially the female rage from teenagers. PERALTA: Cyrena Touros is an NPR music contributor and freelance critic. OLIVIA RODRIGO: (Singing) Well, good for you. But Olivia Rodrigo's success contributes to a bigger trend in music right now, teenage anger. Eighteen-year-old Olivia Rodrigo ruled Billboard's albums and Hot 100 charts last year, making her the top new artist and top female artist of 2021.