Among the first bands to emerge during China's mid-'90s pop-punk craze, The Catcher in the Rye would eventually opt overwhelmingly for pop melodies over punk mayhem. Following their relatively raging 1997 debut, Catcher came to eschew cynicism and anger in favor of positive, even utopian, lyrics that sometimes reflect lead singer Xiao Wei's environmental activism. Catcher's music likewise mellowed out over the years, replacing fury with tasteful electro-pop and gently meditative guitar grooves.