In the early 2000s, emo and pop-punk music took the airwaves (and Napster) by storm. A distinctly emo style of black eyeliner, dark skinny jeans, studded belts, and checkered Vans haunted high school halls. We saved babysitting money and begged our parents to let us see bands like blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and Simple Plan, who gave voice to our angsty generation.
However, a decade later, as tastes shifted away from heavy guitars and raw vocals, the commercial momentum behind the genre faded. But its loyal fans kept their underground love alive, proclaiming, “It was never a phase.”
New Beginnings
In 2022, the inaugural When We Were Young (WWWY) music festival brought the scene back into the light and now serves as a meeting ground for the now-grown fanbase to reconnect with their tribe, bask in nostalgia, and propel pop-punk’s present-day popularity.
This niche festival carries the Warped-era torch with a massive lineup consisting of genre mainstays, like Green Day, Sum 41, and The Used, as well as the epic reunions of My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls, and more. While some bands come together for just the weekend of shows, others have used the festival as a springboard for new projects and tours.
The 2023 festival brought the original five members of Something Corporate (SoCo) together for their first full set in two decades. Their performances over the weekend announced the upcoming return of Andrew McMahon’s three musical projects—SoCo, Jack’s Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness—together for a show the following year. Later, Something Corporate would ditch their day jobs (two members are lawyers now) and hit the road for Out of Office, their first tour since the band went on hiatus in 2004.
"Pop-punk has been propelled back into the mainstream, paving the way for a new wave."
Feeling This
As we walked the Las Vegas Festival Grounds during the 2024 fest, the overwhelming emotion was not the scene’s trademark melancholy but pure joy. Strangers swapped homemade Taylor Swift-style beaded friendship bracelets adorned with “Elder Emo.” Even the early 10:30 a.m. timeslot stages held crowds singing every word to every song.
The joy permeating the grounds didn’t stop with the attendees. Throughout the day, between songs, band members thanked their fans for the opportunity to perform again. With so many bands from the same era in one place after so long, impromptu collaborations popped up on stages all weekend.
Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump joined Cobra Starship, who reunited after ten years, for their performance of ¡Viva la Cobra! which Stump produced. Cobra Starship’s Gabe Saporta chatted backstage with Rock Sound, stating, “I didn’t go to my high school reunion. I don’t have that experience of comradery that most people go through. This is my high school reunion.”
Stump also hopped on stage to sing backing vocals with his pals Motion City Soundtrack for their collab, “Everything is Alright.” Wiz Khalifa accompanied Fall Out Boy, nodding to their 2015 co-headlining The Boys of Zummer Tour. In 2023, even icon Tony Hawk shocked the crowds with an appearance alongside Goldfinger as they performed “Superman” from the classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game.
Those packed early timeslots featured not only nostalgia acts but also emerging artists like the female duo Daisy Grenade. Thanks to the WWWY fest, charting artists with a pop-punk flair like MGK and Olivia Rodrigo, and original lineup comebacks such as Tom DeLonge returning to blink-182, the genre has been propelled back into the mainstream, paving the way for a new wave.
Somewhere I Belong
When We Were Young isn’t the only festival catering to a genre-specific hardcore fanbase. In addition to WWWY, Live Nation organizes the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas. Geared toward fans of nu-metal, industrial rock, and other hard rock genres, the fest features headliners like Linkin Park and Korn, along with a notable relaunch of nu-metal pioneers Kittie.
Morgan Lander talked with Nu Pod about the return of Kittie playing Sick New World and WWWY, stating, “ There have been a number of years in the past 10 years, I guess, that Kittie was not an active band. We never broke up, but it was just nothing happening. And we were resolved that the world didn’t really care too much. And it’s been a really cool couple of years to see people respond to the music and rediscover the band and to be invited to cool stuff like this.”
Travel to Pasadena, CA for a revival of the darker ’80s alt/goth movements at Cruel World with legendary acts like New Order, Iggy Pop, Devo, and Siouxsie’s first U.S. performance in fifteen years. The fest also served as a launchpad for Love and Rockets’ first tour after their own fifteen-year hiatus.
In 2025, Warped Tour will join the punk rock revival, returning with three dates to mark its 30th anniversary. Attendees have been promised a lineup of both new and staple artists, the hallowed Vans Vert Ramp, and the beloved inflatable wall of set times.
"Decades after their sounds peaked, genre-specific festivals offer a haven for dedicated fans who’ve kept the music alive."
Keep Holding On
Decades after their sounds peaked, genre-specific festivals offer a haven for dedicated fans who’ve kept the music alive. Refusing to go with the popular flow, these fans have been rewarded with not just the nostalgia of music past but a cultural rebirth. From festival stages to fresh music releases and buzzing tour schedules, a new era is here.
