2025 may have felt a little rocky because…well, we lost the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. However, the year was not all bad. From the arrival of a new Hayley Williams album, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, and a Panic! At The Disco reunion all the way to a genuinely wild collaboration with Evanescence’s Amy Lee, Poppy, and Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante, there were a ton of major music moments to celebrate this year. Here are 18 of the biggest music moments from the pop-punk, metal, and rock scenes that shaped the year.
blink-182 and Alkaline Trio host LA Wildfire Relief Benefit Show Following January Fires in California
Those devastating Los Angeles wildfires? Yes…those did happen this year, and it feels like an eternity ago! To help their friends and neighbors, blink-182 and Alkaline Trio teamed up at the Hollywood Palladium on February 13, 2025, where proceeds benefitted local organizations. Matt Skiba even joined blink for “Bored To Death.”
TikTok Disappeared For Less Than 24 Hours
We all lost TikTok…or so we thought. The same app that popularized “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)” from Powfu feat. Beabadoobee and “Supalonely” by Benee were almost taken away from the United States due to a SCOTUS ruling requiring their ban or sale. However, the app arrived back in working order with a weird message thanking Donald Trump—the same dude who deemed it a threat. sigh.
Jamie Bower Covered Sleep Token’s “Euclid” & Narrated A Quinn Audio Erotica
Jamie Campbell Bower deserves a round of applause and a nap for his work on Stranger Things season 5, his cover of Sleep Token’s “Euclid,” and his narration of a Quinn audio erotica story, all in 2025. Thank you for your service!
Kendrick Lamar Shares Powerful Message At The Super Bowl
If you were Drake on Super Bowl Sunday 2025…sorry. If you were literally anyone else, you likely had a blast watching Kendrick Lamar play a variety of hits, including “DNA,” “Humble,” “Luther,” and much more. With appearances from Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, Serena Williams, Sza, and Mustard, the artist packed his performance with symbolism relating to systemic racism and mass incarceration. Notably, he kicked off his whole show with the phrase, “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.” Frankly, this might be one of the most impactful and straight-up excellent halftime shows of all time.
Build-A-Bear Released Emo Axolotl
Forget bears…this year, Build-A-Bear made an Emo Axolotl for April Fools Day, complete with a side bang and a black and white checked hoodie. The brand even tapped Kyle Gordon to create an emo track for the drop. Whoever works for Build-A-Bear Workshop really understands the elder emo urge to have goofy stuffed animals.
Music Community Mourns Loss Of Dave Shapiro, Daniel Williams & More
May 22, 2025, marked a dark day for the music industry. Pilot and Sound Talent Group founder Dave Shapiro, along with his booking associates Kendall Fortner and Emma Lynn Huke, former Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams, photographer Celina Kenyon, and Dominic Damian, all died in a small plane crash in San Diego. May they all be remembered, not just for their contributions to the music world, but for their hearts, too.
Warped Tour Returns
Warped Tour officially returned in 2025! From stacked lineups to viral clips of literal shit puddles flooding the DC stop, the fest’s comeback felt perfectly on-theme: messy, loud, and impossible to ignore. Love it or hate it, Warped is back—and the internet definitely noticed.
My Chemical Romance Tour The Black Parade
For the first time since 2007, My Chemical Romance brought The Black Parade back to the stage in full, turning 2025 into a year of collective catharsis. Night after night, fans screamed every word as the band resurrected one of the most iconic emo records of all time on a level that had never been seen before. It makes us that more excited to celebrate the album’s 20 year anniversary in 2026.
Ozzy Osbourne Passes Away
The music world mourned the loss of Ozzy Osbourne in July 2025, marking the end of an era for heavy metal’s most iconic figure. In the wake of his passing, YUNGBLUD emerged as a visible torchbearer, honoring Ozzy’s legacy through performances, public tributes, and a renewed commitment to keeping rock’s rebellious spirit alive. It was a generational handoff that felt deeply emotional and profoundly symbolic.
The All-American Rejects Rejuvenate Backyard Shows
The All-American Rejects gave the middle finger to traditional corporate-owned venues and music industry norms by booking and setting up their own backyard shows. In fact, mainstream news outlets, such as CNN, even heard of the house show revival and chatted with the band.
Jonas Brothers Keep Pop-Punk in the Mainstream
While on their massive Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour, Jonas Brothers had an array of incredible pop-punk cameos in various cities, including The Maine, Yellowcard, Sum 41, Cartel, Christina Perri, and many more. Plus, support acts for the tour included Boys Like Girls and The All-American Rejects. The children yearn for pop-punk collabs!
My Chemical Romance Debuts New Pre-Hiatus Song “War Beneath The Rain”
New My Chemical Romance song? Yeah, we got that in 2025! While the track is not available on streaming, you can re-live the live performance of “War Beneath The Rain” all day long. Perhaps this means MCR5 is imminent…
The Click Five Perform In America For The First Time In 15 Years
We missed our pop princes, The Click Five, who ran out of hibernation to release their new single “Throwback” and head out on tour. They even appeared with the Jonas Brothers. Fingers crossed the good vibes keep on coming in the new year.
The Cab Released First New EP In More Than A Decade
The Cab returned in full force after nearly a decade away with the release of their Road To Reign: A Prelude EP. The group also performed at When We Were Young 2025 to a crowd of adoring fans. The new year is set to be a big one for The Cab, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
The Academy Is… Reunite
The Academy Is… made their grand return to stages with their Almost Here 20th anniversary tour. Of course, who could forget their very expensive VIP tickets? (If you bought them, please reach out to us, we wanna chat!) And it looks like 2026 is going to bring more TAI music!
Panic! At The Disco Reunites with Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith
Panic! At The Disco’s return to headline When We Were Young took an unexpected turn: a reunion between Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith onstage. The moment sent shockwaves through the crowd and reignited memories of the band’s early era—despite all of us hoping to see an original lineup reunion, including Ryan Ross. For longtime fans, it felt like a door reopening that had been shut for over a decade.
Evanescence, Spiritbox, and Poppy Join Forces on Collaborative Single
Three generations of heavy music collided when Evanescence, Spiritbox, and Poppy joined forces on the collaborative single “End Of You.” After the success of their collab, Evanescence announced a world tour that includes Spiritbox as support in the U.S. and Poppy as support overseas.
Hayley Williams Surprise-Dropped Her Solo Album
Hayley Williams quietly dropped a solo album in 2025—and TikTok turned it into a shared emotional breakdown. Stripped-down, devastating, and painfully honest, the release soundtracked millions of late-night listens, tearful confessionals, and viral videos. Once again, Hayley proved she can stop the internet without warning. She’ll be taking the album on the road for an entirely sold-out tour in 2026.
