The term power pop was coined by Pete Townshend of the Who in 1966, but not much used until it was applied to bands like Badfinger in the 1970s, who proved some of the most commercially successful of the period.
Istilah "power pop" diucapkan pertama kali oleh Pete Townshend dari band The Who pada 1966, namun tidak banyak digunakan sampai pada band seperti Badfinger pada 1970an, yang sukses secara komersial pada periode tersebut.