Love ‘em or hate ’em, you can’t deny their songs get stuck in your head for weeks. It doesn’t hurt that the members are pretty easy on the eyes, too.

The 21st century saw the rise of a new brand of catchy, foot-stomping pop rock—courtesy of bands like Boys Like Girls, The Click Five, All Time Low and Secondhand Serenade. Incidentally, all of these bands have played in Manila in recent years, and following in their footsteps are some of the hottest young acts that are currently making waves in the US and beyond.

After Canadian pop punk veterans Simple Plan kick off an insanely packed 2012 on Jan. 12, these bands are slated to rock Manila in two separate mega-shows: “LIV5” featuring The Summer Set, The Ready Set, A Rocket to the Moon, A+ Dropouts and Forever the Sickest Kids, live at the Ayala Malls, on Feb. 16-19; and “SMASH Project 2012,” where The Cab, The Used and Cobra Starship will share the stage with comeback crowd favorite Dashboard Confessional.

Do your homework early and check these bands out; that is, if you haven’t done so already.

The Summer Set

Don’t let the band’s “sad face” motif fool you. Made up of playful tunes and youthful vocals, the Arizona quintet’s music is anything but gloomy, even when inspired by real-life heartbreak. The breakout single “Chelsea” (and most of the tracks from its latest album, actually) was inspired by Disney actress and “Dancing with the Stars” finalist Chelsea Kane Staub, whom frontman/songwriter Brian Dales used to date. The band also did pop punk versions of Usher’s “Love In This Club,” Kiss’ “I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite,” and covers of Taylor Swift songs.

The Ready Set

The Ready Set has only one member: Indiana-born Jordan Witzigreuter. His party-punk, technopop ditties have racked up millions of YouTube views per single, and is signed on to Fall Out Boy alum Pete Wentz’s label, Decaydance Records. Its debut album “I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming,” is top-billed by the bouncy platinum hit “Love Like Woe,” with the newly released EP “Feel Good Now” promising more of the auto-tuned ear candy you all love to hate (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing).

A Rocket to the Moon

After listening to a few tracks from the album “On Your Side,” one can’t help but think, “The Maine, is that you?” Both bands have the same brand of feel-good pop and cute, lanky doppelganger vocalists—frontman Nick Santino does look uncannily like The Maine’s John O’Callaghan. But far from being just a copycat, ARTTM has gained its own steady following since its 2009 album release, playing in numerous joint US tours and racking up YouTube counters with guitar-heavy uptempos like “If Only They Knew” and emo-charged ballads “Like We Used To.”

Forever the Sickest Kids

Think Panic! at the Disco meets Mayday Parade, or maybe not. The boys from Texas first caught mass attention in 2008 with their debut full-length album “Underdog Alma Mater,” with the fist-pumping first single “Whoa Oh!” re-released featuring Selena Gomez. Three auto-tuned experimental EPs later, they’ve gone back to doing what they do best: churning out breezy rock anthems, such as “Keep On Bringing Me Down,” from their eponymous second album released in March 2011.

A+ Dropouts

These self-professed “students by day, rockers by night” are by no means the least experienced. Since their formation in 2009, the teen quartet has done over a hundred live shows across the US, including the giant Summerfest concert in Milwaukee. You can check out their rock-hard hit single “On Your Own,” or watch them live come February, to see why they’ve been voted into the “Top 12 teen bands in America” list in 2010. Oh, and did we mention that 14-year-old vocalist Cheska Zaide is a proud Filipino?

The Cab

What makes the Las Vegas-based band’s music so darn catchy? Fun power-pop hooks, sweet falsettos and a splash of hip-hop/R&B. The Cab’s Billboard chart-topping debut LP “Whisper War,” released in 2008 when the boys were fresh out of high school, featured collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco (watch out for the epic cameo-loaded track “One of Those Nights”).

For their latest indie release, 2011’s “Symphony Soldier,” they shared writing credits with Bruno Mars, Adam Levine and Boys Like Girls’ Martin Johnson, who co-penned the highly addictive first single “Bad.”

The Used

If you haven’t heard of the genre “gross pop,” take a listen to the band’s most recent album “Artwork.” Frontman Bert McCracken coined the term to describe their “messier and noisier” sound, but all the while staying true to the gritty, guitar-driven rock they’ve been known for since their inception in 2001. Due to label issues, the band’s latest record “Vulnerable” will reportedly be released early this year. In the meantime, we’ll be spinning their earliest anthems “The Taste of Ink,” “Blue and Yellow” and “Buried Myself Alive” in anticipation.

Cobra Starship

They’re not exactly pop-punk; in fact, frontman Gabe Saporta thinks the genre is “sooooo ’05.” Their sound has always leaned toward the synthpop, dance-till-you-drop kind, but even the band members can’t deny the strong influence rock has on their music. They broke into the mainstream via the commercial success of their 2009 album “Hot Mess,” led by the funky track “Good Girls Gone Bad,” featuring “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester. Their latest record “Night Shades” is no exception, with pulsating beats and techno grooves that make the album a one-stop party playlist all by itself. The “SMASH Project” marks Cobra Starship’s second visit to Manila, as with fellow headliner Dashboard Confessional.

“LIV5 at the Ayala Malls” is brought to you by Music Management International. “SMASH Project 2012” is produced by DAYLY Entertainment.