For a lot of people, their time in high school shapes who they’ll become for the rest of their lives. It’s a time when you can start having your own interests, your own money, some freedom. You can become you. And one of the best things about becoming you is figuring out what kind of music you like. When you’re a teen, the music you get into feels so much stronger than at any other point in your life. The music you listen to in your teen years mixes with your hormones and emotions and overwhelms you and permanently molds you. You make mix tapes, you go to shows, you buy band t-shirts and posters, you get ill-advised tattoos. It’s a lot of fun.
There’s been a fun meme going around where people are asked to list the ten albums that were the most influential to their teen lives. Somehow most people listened to really cool stuff in high school. I missed the part of high school where we became cool. But luckily most of the staff did not! So here they are, the albums that shaped each of us the most in our teen years.
Mey, Trans and Music Editor, Teen from 1999-2005
- Three Dog Night – 20th Century Masters The Best of Three Dog Night
- Santana –Â Supernatural
- David Bowie – Best of Bowie
- Kanye West – The College Dropout
- 2pac – Greatest Hits
- Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
- Fefe Dobson – Fefe Dobson
- Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
- Hawk Nelson – Letters to the President
- Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys
Audrey, Staff Writer, Teen From 2003-2010
- Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave
- Fall Out Boy – From Under The Cork Tree
- Panic! At The Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
- Elliott Smith – Either/Or
- Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- Cat Power – The Greatest
- Brand New – The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
- Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory
- Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview
- Radiohead – The Bends
Cecelia, Staff Writer, Teen from 2007-2012
- Vampire Weekend –Â Contra
- The Antlers –Â Hospice
- The Morning Benders –Â Big Echo
- Arcade Fire –Â The Suburbs
- Laura Marling –Â Alas I Cannot Swim
- Sleigh Bells –Â Treats
- Mac Demarco –Â 2
- The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
- Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti –Â Before Today
- Frank Ocean –Â Channel Orange
Alaina, Staff Writer, Teen from 2004-2010
- Youthful Praise – Exalted…Live in Baltimore
- Tye Tribbett –Â Victory Live
- Jason Robert Brown –Â The Last Five Years
- Neutral Milk Hotel –Â In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
- Duncan Sheik –Â Spring Awakening
- Jonathan Larson –Â Rent
- Gavin Degraw –Â Chariot
- Elton John and Tim Rice –Â Aida
- Celine Dion –Â Taking Chances
- Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty –Â Ragtime
Cee, Technical Director, Teen from 1991-1997
- Pearl Jam –Â Ten
- Nirvana –Â Bleach
- Sleater Kinney – Sleater Kinney
- Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped
- Bjork – Post
- Jane’s Addiction –Â Ritual de lo Habitual
- Daft Punk – Homework
- NINÂ –Â The Downward Spiral
- PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
- Pixies – Doolittle
Crystal, Teen in Late 90s
- Green Day –Â Dookie
- Deftones –Â Around the Fur
- Our Lady Peace –Â Clumsy
- Spice Girls –Â Spice
- Jebediah – Slightly Odway
- Placebo –Â Without You I’m Nothing
- TLC –Â CrazySexyCool
- Fiona Apple –Â Tidal
- Fugees –Â The Score
- Everclear –Â Sparkle and Fade
Karly, Social Media, Teen from 2002-2008
- Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
- Linkin Park – Meteora
- Trapt – Trapt
- Hoobastank – The Reason
- Coldplay – Rush of Blood to the Head
- Daredevil Original Soundtrack
- Savage Garden – Savage Garden
- John Mayer – Heavier Things
- Underworld Original Soundtrack
- Story of the Year – Page Avenue
Laura M, Staff Writer, Teen in the Early 2000s
- Barenaked Ladies – Stunt
- Aerosmith – A Little South Of Sanity
- Queen – Greatest Hits
- U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
- Everclear – Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One: Learning How To Smile
- Matchbox 20 – More Than You Think You Are
- The Dandy Warhols – Welcome To The Monkey House
- The New Pornographers – Electric Version
- OK Go – OK Go
- Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Kayla, Staff Writer, Teen from 2005-2011
- Jennifer Lopez –Â This is Me… Then
- Le Tigre –Â Le Tigre
- Alicia Keys –Â Songs in A Minor
- Christina Aguilera –Â Stripped
- Sleater Kinney –Â Dig Me Out
- Ciara –Â Goodies
- Britney Spears –Â In the Zone
- Missy Elliott –Â Under Construction
- Shakira –Â Laundry Service
- Wicked Original Cast Recording
Raquel, Intern, Teen from 2002-2007
- Jimmy Eat World –Â Bleed American
- Jars of Clay – Much Afraid
- The Cranberries –Â Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?
- Alanis Morrisette –Â Jagged Little Pill
- Sufjan Stevens –Â Come on Feel the Illinoise
- Dashboard Confessional –Â The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
- Pixies –Â Doolittle
- Avril Lavigne –Â Let Go
- Radiohead – Kid A
- Leonard Cohen – Songs of Love and Hate
 
Riese, CEO, Teen From 1994-1999
- Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
- Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
- The Fugees – The Score
- Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I May See
- Patty Griffin – Living with Ghosts
- Velocity Girl – Copacetic
- Oasis – What’s the Story Morning Glory
- RENT: The Original Broadway Cast Recording
- Ani DiFranco – Living in Clip
- Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
- The Empire Records Soundtrack
- The Stealing Beauty Soundtrack
- The Clueless Soundtrack
- Jewel – Pieces of You
- Jeff Buckley – Grace
- The Cardigans – First Band on the Moon
Sarah, Design and Business Director, Teen from 2000-2006
- Tori Amos – The Choirgirl Hotel
- Tori Amos – Under The Pink
- Ani DiFranco – Evolve
- Fiona Apple – When The Pawn
- Fiona Apple – Tidal
- Garbage – Beautiful Garbage
- Sarah McLachlan – Mirrorball
- Katy Rose – Because I Can
- Le Tigre – This Island
- Celine Dion – One Heart
Stef, Vapid Fluff Editor
- Garbage – Garbage / Version 2.0
- Poe – Hello / Haunted
- Elastica – Elastica
- Portishead – Dummy
- Spice Girls – Spice
- PJ Harvey –Â Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
- Blondie – Parallel Lines
- Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals
- Tori Amos –Â From the Choirgirl Hotel
- Blur – 13
- Catatonia – International Velvet
- Mindless Self Indulgence – Tight
- Fiona Apple – When the Pawn
Laneia, Executive Editor, Teen from 1994-1999
- Liz Phair – Whip-Smart
- Weezer – Blue Album
- Green Day – Dookie
- Alanis Morisette – Jagged Little Pill
- Prince – The Hits 2
- Janet Jackson – Janet.
- Nirvana – Unplugged
- Mariah Carey – Unplugged
- Various Artists – Tank Girl Soundtrack
- Various Artists – My So-Called Life Soundtrack
Kristin, A-Camp Director, Teen from 1993-1999
- Bush – Sixteen Stone
- Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
- Letters to Cleo – Aurora Gory Alice
- Jewel – Pieces of You
- Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
- Violent Femmes – Add it Up
- Ani DiFranco – “anything I could get my hands on“
- Tori Amos – “just every album that she released“
