In the world of pop punk, there are pretenders to the throne and bands that can go out night after night armed with great tunes that are both catchy and memorable. MXPX are one of the latter. For a decade, the band has been penning emotional punk songs with terrific melodies and hook-laden harmonies. Ten years in the business may not make them the longest running punk band eating the asphalt, but its definitely nothing to sneeze at.

When MXPX set up their first basement show in Washington state back in 1992, they had dreams of major label deals, videos and hit songs, but they kept their goals short. They just wanted to play — anywhere, anytime and as often as possible. MXPX’s early shows were completely D.I.Y. as they set them up wherever they could rent a room. “We’d play churches, little community center type things,” drummer Yuri Ruley recalls. “We’d run all over town borrowing PAs and stuff from people we knew. All day we’d spend making flyers, borrowing somebody’s copy machine, hanging them up all over, sending them everywhere and hoping people would show up.” Back then, the band’s biggest milestone was when they had a gig that drew over 100 people — a far cry from the large clubs and festivals at which they perform now.

With the release of their first record in 1994, Pokinatcha, on Tooth and Nail Records, MXPX’s influences were clear — equal parts melodic Californian punk rock, Elvis Costello and The Ramones. “The Ramones were a big influence on us, for sure,” says Ruley. “I think we tend to lean to the Descendents a bit more, but the Ramones? Sure, we listened to them a ton.”

As the band got a bit more exposure and live playing experience under their belts, they did what any other self respecting punk act would do — record a tight as a drum live album. A perfect combination of originals and covers, 1999’s At The Show, completely showcased MXPX’s talents performing before a live crowd.

During this recording, the band set out to conquer “The KKK Took My Baby Away,” despite the tune’s quirky subject matter. “Yeah, it’s a little strange, but the melody is so great,” Ruley states. “We thought it was cool and that it would fit [our style.] We thought we could do it well. The Ramones — they’re not this prog rock, intricate band — but they had a certain style that was hard to copy. They played so incredibly fast. But I feel that our band, it trained us to be able to do something like that and pull it off. We were happy with it.”

Like most other musicians in the genre, Ruley believes that the recent induction of The Ramones into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can do nothing but add credibility to the punk movement. “They’re the perfect band to have in that place, just because they invented [punk] for a lot of people,” he says. “I think it’s perfect that they’re in there.”

MXPX takes their show on the road this summer on the Warped Tour to celebrate the release of their latest CD, 10 Years and Running.