I prefer punk. 

Punk kicks pop punks a*s any day of the week. The only half way decent pop punk bands, are the ones that had a dramatic shift. Somewhere in the course of their careers. Like Green Day for instance. The Ramones and the Sex Pistols are stalwarts. Green Day has albums like Dookie and Nimrod. Which makes up for the likes of American Idiot. It was a clear jab at W. Bush. Not exactly new ground that was covered. Bands have been anti-political for decades. Bands like The Ramones did it. Both Green Day and Sum 41 have cited The Clash, The Ramones, and The Sex Pistols as influences. Even if it was just slight. Green Day made the Hall of Fame, mostly because of their longevity. And because Dookie and Nimrod. Dookie helped usher in the mid 90s of music. Pop punk isnt all that bad, but you need to remember how it came to be. There was a progression of events, and pop punk came out of that. For some it never should of happened. But that's how music works. There is the good with the bad.

Both are good in different contexts, just like electro swing and swing.

Pop punk is good. It's a mixture. Has a different sound to it.

The Ramones were very much a Pop Punk band. 

You ought to ask Jackie Boy, the basement dweller from Gilroy, CA. Sometimes he calls himself "Tom Cruise." I say that because Blink 182 is his all time favourite band, he can't shut up about them. Once he starts in on them, he just gets to rambling for hours and hours. He could praise them until the cows come home. If you ask me, I think he's gay for Tom DeLonge and his  UFO conspiracy theory obsession. 

Original pop punk: Husker Du and Naked Raygun.

Hardcore

Black Flag, Poison Idea Slapshot and Wisdom In Chains