This yr’s iteration of Welcome to Rockville will most actually be a memorable one. Kicking off Thursday, Might 7 and spanning rock, metallic, pop punk, and every thing in between, this yr’s four-day lineup is custom-made for anybody who’s ever rocked a facial piercing or bleached their very own hair, nevertheless efficiently.
Day one alone carries critical weight — from the very first band of the day, Dorothy, to a string of post-hardcore, pop punk, and metalcore bands we all know AP readers can be stoked to see: Story of the 12 months, State Champs, Mayday Parade, Senses Fail, Atreyu, the checklist goes on… to not point out, Weapons N’ Roses headline.
Learn extra: 10 most criminally underrated Deliver Me The Horizon songs
Failure and Winona Fighter take a few of Friday’s first slots, and the day solely will get louder because it goes on — with performances by Poppy, the Offspring, Turnstile, ending the day with a large set from Foo Fighters.
Saturday begins off with an earlier set from Amira Elfeky, earlier than bands starting from Black Veil Brides to Easy Plan hit the stage — all main as much as Deliver Me the Horizon as headliner.
The ultimate day of the competition begins with the Ataris, incorporates a reunion present from From First to Final, units from Sleeping With Sirens, Yellowcard, Underoath, all capped off by My Chemical Romance — whose over-the-top theatricality and reversion tracks will make sure you stick in your head all the best way dwelling.
However that’s solely a tough sketch. Every day is jam-packed with bands — ones , ones you don’t know, ones you’ve been studying about in AP magazines for many years, and ones you’ll be bragging about having seen this weekend for years to come back. It’s fairly overwhelming — and whereas it was painfully exhausting to slender it down, we’ve provide you with an inventory of 5 must-see artists at Welcome to Rockville 2026.
Violent Vira
All of us like to scream and cry to the soundtrack of our teenage years, however it’s equally necessary to determine and help the subsequent era of different icons. Someplace in the course of metalcore and heavy rock, Violent Vira’s vocal capabilities alone — which have been in comparison with each Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Kittie’s Morgan Lander — are sufficient proof she’s one to look at. Although her sound leans heavier and extra into metallic than in any other case, Vira’s an emo lady at coronary heart, and it does present. For followers of Poppy, Pierce the Veil, Jack Off Jill, and Bullets-era My Chemical Romance.
The Paradox
Two months into existence, the Paradox had a co-sign from Travis Barker and Jack White. Quickly after, they opened for Inexperienced Day. They went viral. However that’s not new information. Since, they’ve confirmed to be rather more than a TikTok video or one-off efficiency — they’re probably the most outstanding younger acts in at this time’s pop-punk scene, with the sticky earworms and excessive vitality to pave the best way for the style’s future. If you happen to’ve had “My Mates Over You” caught in your head since 2002, it’s time to listen to — and see — the Paradox in 2026.
L.S. Dunes
We’re followers and buddies of L.S. Dunes — in all of their varieties. Made up of My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, Circa Survive’s Anthony Inexperienced, Tucker Rule and Tim Payne of Thursday, and Coheed and Cambria’s Travis Stever, nevertheless hostile to the “supergroup” label they’re themselves, there’s no higher solution to put it. These are the post-hardcore Avengers. Exterior of their main teams, they let themselves take inventive and emotional liberties, experiment, and draw outdoors the strains with sound. It’s cathartic and recent, magical and psychotic — and makes for a stay expertise you received’t wish to miss.
Turnstile
Everybody ought to expertise a Turnstile present. Whether or not you’re a lover or hater, it’s exhausting to disclaim one thing particular is occurring, one thing momentous because the band, as silhouettes, amble onstage in opposition to their signature striped projection. A second of stillness, as “NEVER ENOUGH” begins, after which it hits the climax, Daniel Fang tears into his equipment, and the gang goes fully insane. By way of their units, Brendan Yates, an undeniably nice frontman, acts as a wild conductor, bringing the gang alongside for the journey somewhat than leaving them behind because the songs oscillate between their earlier, grittier hardcore tracks and the newer, softer, pop-leaning ones. Actually, Turnstile aren’t not like the competition itself, providing a spectrum of heaviness.
My Chemical Romance
Few bands hit like My Chemical Romance — musically and emotionally. Their songs are alt anthems, the soundtrack to so lots of our lives rising up. With a band like MCR, it’s much less about nostalgia and extra in regards to the catharsis of screaming alongside to each phrase with a crowd of strangers who’re screaming simply as loud. Each present, whether or not it’s at a stadium or at a competition, is uniquely and massively theatrical. This band don’t convey something however their greatest — and extra. Whether or not you’ve been listening for many years, otherwise you’re simply discovering them, whether or not you’ve received a marching band costume beneath your mattress otherwise you’re simply curious in regards to the hype — that is the form of present folks discuss lengthy after the lights go down.
