Recession Pop Takeover: As inflation rates and discussions of a recession heighten, the music scene is already seeing a rise of upbeat pop.

It’s September 29th, 2008. The stock market will crash today and the Dow Jones Industrial Average will fall 777.68 points.

No one is celebrating, yet the Billboard Hot 100 chart is topped with P!nk’s “So What,” “Disturbia” by Rihanna and “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. Other pop artists like Katy Perry and Kesha are on the rise, culminating in a phenomenon referred to as ‘Recession Pop.’

Although the country isn’t in a full-swing recession yet, I’d say recession pop is back in full force. I can’t get Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” out of my head and as much as it would’ve annoyed me a few years ago, Brat Summer was one to remember.

During the Great Recession, teens turned to music as an outlet of positivity. The music was messy, loud and unapologetically fun. Even now, many of these songs are still on my “Game Day” playlist.

As someone who was learning to walk during the Great Recession, while I enjoy the recession pop sound, I didn’t get to sing along to Pitbull or Katy Perry first-hand.

However, the resurgence of this niche genre allowed current teens to listen this past year. With inflation rates emptying American pockets, we all get to reap the benefits of economic downturns — you guessed it, recession pop.

Not only have more prominent artists shifted their tone in recent months — Ariana Grande’s last album had more synth pop influences — but so have other pop artists that recently broke through into chart-topping sensations.

I guarantee most people don’t go a month without humming Carpenter’s “Please, Please, Please” or “Espresso” — even though five years back, we might’ve been annoyed by the dance-y beats or the tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Chappell Roan broke records at the Lollapalooza festival this summer — which she didn’t even headline — with one of the largest crowds in festival history. I have to admit that if Chappell rose to the top before this year, I wouldn’t have been as much of a fan of her upbeat, cheer-like sound as I am now.

But the artist who has embodied the idea of recession pop to her core is the one that spurred the ‘Brat Summer’ of 2024 — Charli xcx. The star took over the summer with her hyperpop album, Brat, through TikTok trends, lime green billboard, and even a presidential campaign, somehow.

Songs like “360” and “Girl, so confusing” embody the idea of a ‘Brat Summer’ by celebrating the good and bad of life in a messy, loud, and fun way like the recession pop of the early 2000s. Charli xcx truly revived recession pop in her album, bringing out the best of 2000s and early 2010s music.

I have to say that I didn’t realize how much I missed just having fun with music. I do love a good extended metaphor, but I’m so glad to listen to music that doesn’t make me cry. Maybe my morning coffee costs upwards of seven dollars, but at least I get to listen to the revival of recession pop.