From your description of tire balance problems and a 'bouncy tire' I would bet on that being the source of your 'mild jumping or hopping'. Axles do bend, but it takes a lot of force and the wheel usually gets bent a lot worse.
Balance the tire first. Check runnout at the wheel bead seat area. About .040 or less runout is the norm. That way you check the wheel and axle. If you have a problem, swap sides with the rear wheels to determine if it axle or wheel runout.
