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(Photo of Jack Antonoff by Claudio Papapietro)

Meet Jersey's millennium class

Everyone knows Sinatra, Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Whitney Houston are 20th century New Jersey's most notable native musicians.

But when it comes to the state’s contributions to the current millennium the list isn’t so obvious.

Here’s a look at the 15 greatest New Jersey acts of the new millennium so far, measured by musicianship, artistic impact within and beyond the state, and commercial success.

And no, Springsteen and Bon Jovi are not included, despite plenty of work this century — only bands who rose to fame after 2000.

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(Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images)

Paterson, 2014 to present

Why: This time last year, Fetty Wap, 24, had just begun to gain momentum. Now, after a whirlwind of singles that bridged the gap between hip-hop's underground and mainstream charts, the rhymer-singer born Willie Maxwell is New Jersey's most visible contribution to rap this century.

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Maxwell’s debut single “Trap Queen,” an entrancing tale of drugs, cash and street-smart romance, was likely 2015’s most ubiquitous hip-hop track and reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Soon, Fetty became the first since The Beatles to score his first three singles in the Top 10 concurrently.The ascendent emcee embarked on his first full headlining tour earlier this month.

The artist at his best: "Trap Queen," "679," "Again"

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(Photo courtesy of Don Giovanni Records)

New Brunswick, 2006 to present

Why: To appreciate the full impact of Screaming Females — perhaps the finest 21st century representatives of New Brunswick's strident local scene — fans must absorb a live set from the raucous garage-punk trio.

Petite frontwoman Marissa Paternoster is an assailing, ravenous vocalist, but her titanic guitar solos — surgically precise, heavily distorted maelstroms — are particularly divine.

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Paternoster’s impossibly quick fretwork has over six LPs earned the band a loyal nationwide following. Also, kudos to the group’s relentless work ethic — more 700 shows in a six-year clip sounds exhausting.

The band at its best: "Ripe," "Rotten Apple," "It All Means Nothing"

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(NJ.com file photo)

Shark River Hills and Asbury Park, 2006 to present

Why: When folks discuss the revitalization of Asbury Park's music scene, Nicole Atkins is often mentioned. She was the songstress who signed a high-profile record deal with Springsteen's caretakers Columbia Records in 2006, and toured the world.

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Atkins' major-label debut “Neptune City,” a titled surely deemed whimsical by out-of-towners, showcased both the singer’s formidable chops — a warm, rich talent worthy of the Great American Songbook — and lush, contemporary arrangements. After three solo LPs, Atkins again lives near the shore, and is a regular performer and mentor to New Jersey’s most musician-friendly shorefront swath.

The artist at her best: "The Way It Is," "Maybe Tonight," "Neptune City"

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(Photo courtesy of Fueled By Ramen Records)

Woodcliff Lake and Jersey City, 2007 to present

Why: For a while, it seemed as though The Front Bottoms' idiosyncratic folk-punk would remain an indie secret, and frontman Brian Sella's squawking sort of delivery might not translate to a wider market.

But in early 2015, the band signed to major player Fueled By Ramen Records (Paramore, Twenty One Pilots).

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In May, a show-stopping main stage performance at Asbury Park’s Skate and Surf festival proved the power of this ostensibly casual four-piece.

And with major-label debut “Back On Top,” in tow, the blossoming band soon heads out on a national headlining tour.

The band at its best: "Twin Mattress," "Laugh Till I Cry," "Skeleton"

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(Photo by James Dimmock)

New Brunswick, 2001 to present

Why: Yes, there's quite a bit of rock on this list, but that's not all New Jersey has done well this millennium. Jaheim, for instance, has been the state's great contribution to R&B, and a national presence after his first two, smoky LPs "Ghetto Love" and "Still Ghetto" were each certified platinum.

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Jaheim's later, Grammy-nominated track “Finding My Way Back” still functions as a silky-smooth slow jam, and while we are certainly far removed from the days of Frank Sinatra’s heyday, Jaheim is great for a nice, mellow croon.

The artist at his best: "Put That Woman First," "Fabulous," "Finding My Way Back"

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(Photo by Shawn Brackbill)

Ridgewood, 2009 to present

Why: Real Estate's softly cresting indie-rock has for the last five years been as fitting a New Jersey summer soundtrack as any, and borne a passionate fan base for the unassuming five-piece. The metered, even approach from frontman Martin Courtney is a tender homage to The Beach Boys and Jersey's own The Feelies.

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The arcing “whoa’s” of the Real Estate's most popular tune “It’s Real” go down smoother than a Kohr’s boardwalk ice cream cone. The band’s most recent work, 2014’s “Atlas,” was met with significant critical praise.

The band at its best: "Talking Backwards," "It's Real," "Had To Hear"

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(Lisa Kyle | For The Star-Ledger)

Glen Rock, 2005 to present

Why: Much of this indie-punk band's music can be grating, and singer-founder Patrick Stickles' manic persona requires a bit of acclimation.

But when a fan invests time and attention to the pounding, ambitious projects this group has produced — and sprawling concepts that are both meticulous and unhinged — the experience is rewarding.

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The Titus’ 2015 rock opera “The Most Lamentable Tragedy” includes some of the worthiest punk numbers a New Jersey band has released this decade.

The band at its best: "A More Perfect Union," "Dimed Out," "Titus Andronicus"

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(Photo by Cory Schwartz/Getty Images)

Ridgewood, 2004 to present

Why: For millennials whose high school years landed in the mid-2000s, it was difficult to escape bands like Senses Fail.

After the boom of mainstream pop-punk (blink-182, New Found Glory) a few years earlier, a mix of pop-punk and emo cultures ensnared alternative youths and in the thick of the Warped Tour crowd was this addictive band from Ridgewood, led by brooding frontman Buddy Nielsen.

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The group’s 2004 debut “Let it Enfold You” is still revered as a snapshot of the emo-punk movement — don’t act like you’ve forgotten the lyrics to “Buried A Lie” — and was a fun revisit in 2014, when the band rocked a 10-year anniversary tour of the album.

The band at its best: "Rum is for Drinking, Not Burning," "Bite To Break Skin," "Buried A Lie"

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(Photo by Jason Kempin)

Camden, 2000 to present

Why: Tribbett's frenetic, sonically limitless approach to modern gospel, most recently visible in his Grammy-winning 2013 live LP "Greater Than," is truly bewitching, and far more the accessible than those unaccustomed to the genre would anticipate. The singer and imposing band leader grew up in Camden's El Bethel church of Christ.

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Through an eclectic blend of influences, he has expanded his praiseful tunes to include everything from pop synth and electric guitar to horns and traditional, encompassing choir accompaniment. The 40-year-old musician is a wonderful innovator and effervescent voice in a genre some might blindly consider to be stale.

The artist at his best: "He Turned It," "Stayed On You," "Bless The Lord (Son Of Man)"

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(Photo by Mahala Gaylord | The Star-Ledger)

Englewood, 2001 to present

Why: As the ostentatious frontwoman of the New York alt-rock outfit Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen Orzolek earns respect for allowing her expansively creative mind to dictate her career path, regardless of the band's critical acclaim.

No Yeah Yeah Yeahs album has mimicked another, and her punkish delivery laid over buzzing guitars and synth has always felt like the soundtrack to a house party you’d actually want to attend.

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Karen O.'s array of eye-popping outfits made extravangance cool years before Lady Gaga entered the conversation, and extra points for co-composing the delicate indie-folk tune “The Moon Song” for 2013 film “Her,” which earned an Oscar nomination.

The artist at her best: "Heads Will Roll," "Zero," "The Moon Song"

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(Photo by Amy Welch)

Princeton, 1998 to present*

Why: As the 20th century waned, Saves The Day was through being cool, and thrust its angst-soaked emo-punk onto the masses, ensnaring the underground and inspiring a wave of bands (like Senses Fail) who a few years later would command the mainstream.

Singer Chris Conley’s love-torn petulance was a voice to which many American teens bound themselves, and after 2001’s fan-beloved “Stay What You Are,” the group was a pop-punk darling.

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Lineup changes and lackluster albums since then have tarnished the band a bit, but in Jersey alt lore, just about every grown-up scene kid keeps Saves The Day close to heart.

* Yes, it’s understood that Saves The Day’s first album was before the year 2000, and its seminal work “Through Being Cool” was released in 1999. But it was November of ‘99. So, close enough.

The band at its best: "Shoulder to the Wheel," "You Vandal," "See You"

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(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

New Brunswick, 1999 to 2011*

Why: In the same way Saves The Day was seminal to pop-punk, Thursday was immeasurably important to the development of post-hardcore, a subgenre that's dominated alternative punk scenes ever since.

Singer Geoff Rickly’s gloomy post-punk sensibility first hooked the millennial masses with 2001’s “Full Collapse,” and his propulsive delivery helped to launch what’s now a common practice of both singing and screaming within the same song.

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The anguished urgency of early works remains authentically visceral, and five years removed from the group’s last LP “No Devolucion,” Thursday is a band many punk fans wish would return.

* Yes, Thursday released its debut “Waiting” in 1999, but didn’t make a significant impact until 2001’s “Full Collapse,” so we let it slide.

The band at its best: "Cross Out The Eyes," "For The Workforce, Drowning," "War All The Time"

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(Photo by Neilson Barnard | Getty Images)

New Brunswick, 2006 to present

Why: To the millennial New Jersey rock fan — sons and daughters of the Springsteen devout — The Gaslight Anthem is salt of the motherland.

Attentive frontman Brian Fallon is himself a student of The Boss, and through his wistful perspective, dashes of nostalgia, and a driving, punk-inspired pulse, the foursome has produced a list of 21st century alt-rock anthems and cultivated a passionate fanbase.

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Gaslight has toured the globe, and made the jump from New Brunswick’s sweltering basements and The Court Tavern to headlining PNC Bank Arts Center in 2014, and Asbury Park’s Skate and Surf festival last year.

The band at its best: "The '59 Sound," "Great Expectations," "Handwritten"

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(Photo by Claudio Papapietro/For The Star-Ledger)

New Milford, 2002 to present

Why: Antonoff, 31, has always ensured his music represents New Jersey as a place from which tremendous art can emanate.

The bespectacled rocker morphed from indie stalwart to Top 40 hitmaker in 2012, when his bright New York pop trio fun. erupted with a No. 1 single in “We Are Young.”

With it came a sophomore LP that earned the shrewd songwriter and guitarist two top-tier Grammy Awards. Since 2014, fun. has been on hiatus and Antonoff has reinvented himself again, as frontman of the addictively invigorating electro-pop group Bleachers.

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In 2015, Antonoff founded and headlined the Shadow of the City festival on The Stone Pony Summer Stage, as he felt the need to further celebrate his homestate. "This is year one of something I want to do forever," he told NJ.com last year.

And on the side, he wrote two tracks on Taylor Swift’s monster smash “1989,” which just won the Grammy for Album of the Year. No big deal.

The artist at his best: "Bullet" (with Steel Train); "We Are Young" (with fun.); and "Rollercoaster" (with Bleachers).

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(Photo by Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Belleville and Hudson County, 2001 to 2013

Why: In terms of cultural impact, musicianship and artistic scope, no New Jersey act this millennium compares to the aggressively grandiose glam-punk of My Chemical Romance. Led by ostensibly menacing frontman Gerard Way — and trunks stuffed full of gothic costuming — the five-piece was a fixture in the emo-punk counterculture, and also played as a mainstream guilty pleasure for about five years.

Two platinum-selling albums spurred headlining arena gigs on five continents. And the group’s conceptual masterpiece, 2006’s theatrical “The Black Parade,” remains utterly striking.

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“(My Chemical Romance) were probably the most significant band in alternative rock this century so far,” veteran music journalist and author of the band’s biography Tom Bryant told NJ.com in 2014. That’s not just Jersey — that’s anywhere. We were lucky to have them.

The band at its best: "Famous Last Words," "I'm (Not) Okay," "Welcome to the Black Parade"