Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesizers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres.

Power pop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by RYM

Power Pop is a genre that combines pop melodies with loud power chords. Its major melodic influences can be traced back to The Beatles and The Byrds and the guitar sound of The Who. It is characterized by relatively short songs, catchy melodies and prominent electric guitars. Usually people refer to three different waves of Power Pop. The first one is from the 1970s and features bands such as Badfinger, Raspberries, Cheap Trick and Big Star. The second originates on the late 1970s and early 1980s with bands such as The Knack, The Beat and The Romantics. The third one is from the 1990s, which also has some alternative rock influences and includes artists such as Matthew Sweet, The Posies and Superdrag.