The Plain White T’s are the latest in a slew of bubblegum pop-punk bands to gain popularity in the wake of Fall Out Boy. The bubblegum moniker here is entirely appropriate, as it applies to their genre as well as their music, which is best described as chewy, catchy, elastic and ultimately flavorless.

So it was no surprise to anyone who showed up Tuesday night at New York’s Fillmore at Irving Plaza when the band led off its set by dedicating a song to every girl in the audience, and then extended that dedication to every guy in a band who writes music for the girls in the audience. (Did they realize they were dedicating the song to themselves?)

Yes, the Chicago quintet truly brought new clumsiness to the cannon of sloppy “I-need-you” lyrics. A sampling: “You and me, we like the same kind of music/That’s why we, make a good you and me,” from the song — you guessed it — “You and Me”.

But hoards of teenaged girls in braces and backpacks didn’t seem to mind. They used the pauses between songs as efficiently as they could, counting off and then collectively proposing to lead singer Tom Higgenson: “Marry me, Tom!” It was like a living, breathing MySpace comment.

Plain White T’s gained some mainstream popularity last year after filling in for Bloc Party to open for Panic! at the Disco on their U.S. tour. Although still relatively unknown to the world (they only have 378,603 MySpace fans-Psh! Flavor Flav has more than that), they were able to pull together a modest, small-venue tour in support of their latest album Every Second Counts. (The bill also featured Boys Night Out, Lovedrug and Dear and the Headlights.)

On stage, Higgenson alternated between two movements-the wet dog shake and the invisible jump rope. In other words, as dynamic as a plain white T.

Guitarist Dave Trio was also a bit of a snooze, and De’Mar Hamilton gave a mediocre effort on drums, boasting an “eh” solo halfway through the song “Friends Don’t Let Friends Dial Drunk.” Sneeze and you would have missed it.

The night’s only saving grace was band’s encore, a superb and ebullient rendition of “Hey Delilah,” the summertime ballad they included on 2005’s All That We Needed and-wait for it-re-included on 2006’s Every Second Counts. It was the kind of performance that proved what this band is capable of with a little more confidence — or a more demanding fanbase. It also provided a feeling of warm connectedness to know that every kid in New York City would soon be sharing the moment, via cell phone video camera.