Click to watch

The Smoking Popes perform "Off My Mind"

You can’t debate that the pop-punk explosion rooted itself in the mid 1990s, and with the success of acts like Green Day and Offspring, its underground status didn’t last long. While those bands (along with a bevy of Warped Tour comers) seem to get all the credit, some of the best bands who helped define pop-punk’s sound and spirit should also get their due, and what better example of this than the Smoking Popes? Led by the Carterer brothers, the band perfected a sound highlighted by smooth vocal delivery (courtesy singer Josh) paired with guitar (Matt) and bass (Eli) turned way up for hearty, hook-y punk. It had been nearly eight years since the beloved Chicago quartet packed it in, and just when everyone—still clutching a copy of 1995’s Born to Quit—thought it was time to give up the ship, the Popes reemerged in 2005 for a reunion at Chicago’s Club Metro. That show resulted in a double CD/DVD, At Metro (Victory), and the Popes were back. The band makes a stop in Buffalo with support from feted Saddle Creek outfit Criteria (led by former Cursive guitarist Stephen Pederson), who is due for a full-length release following a pair of well received EPs last year, along with Above the City and Marionette.

Thursday, August 17 at 9pm. Icon, 391 Ellicott St. (842-0167)

www.thebuffaloicon.com. $12 at door.