Ah, Coachella. If you’re not there, you’re probably seeing videos of Lady Gaga‘s thrilling and five-star-reviewed headlining set, as well as clips of Yo Gabba Gabba! (Yes, they were invited to play and the crowd loved it.)
Of course, while the festival featured pop stars such as Charli xcx, LISA, Post Malone, and more, they also had a range of rock, hardcore, and punk acts who brought the house down. ICYMI, here are the best alternative performances from Coachella 2025.
Green Day Headliner
Green Day was the official headliner of Coachella’s Saturday nights, and of course, they brought the heat for each of their 18 tracks. In true Green Day fashion, they changed the lyrics of “American Idiot” to include the phrase, “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.” Plus, when they played “Jesus Of Suburbia,” they shared the lyrics, “Running away from pain like the kids from Palestine.”
Naturally, the punk rock trio used their platform to make bold political statements. They also invited fans up to sing and play guitar on various tracks. Notably, Tommy Lloyd from 20K Rio sported a shirt that said, “Hey Billie Can I Play Guitar?” and ended up onstage playing “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).”
The Go-Go’s feat. Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong headed onstage to perform “Head Over Heels” with The Go-Go’s, and it was basically the collab we never knew we needed.
Speed
Knocked Loose turned heads and brought modern hardcore to Coachella in 2023, and Speed did it again in 2025. The stage-diving zone and mosh pit were open for business, and music fans clearly had a blast.
Bernie Sanders & Clairo
Perhaps one of the biggest and coolest surprises was when Clairo kicked off her Coachella set by handing the mic to Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Maxwell Frost who shared a speech amidst Trump 2.0 fears. (Notably, Sanders has been on a Fighting The Oligarchy Tour with AOC, which has had massive turnout at each stop.)
Sanders noted onstage, “Now you can turn away and you can ignore what goes on, but if you do that, you do it at your own peril. We need you to stand up to fight for justice. To fight for economic justice, social justice, and racial justice.” He also praised Clairo for her work to support women’s rights, standing up against genocide in Gaza, and more. P.S. Being progressive and caring about politics IS punk.
Megan Thee Stallion & Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante
Megan Thee Stallion brought out the one and only “Courtney from fucking Spiritbox” to perform “TYG” and it made us want to scream “Mother” all day long.
Bob Vylan
Bob Vylan is giving punk rock the freshness we’ve craved for so long. Their unapologetic support for Palestine on the Coachella stage is truly admirable.
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks brought their iconic hardcore punk to the fest and stayed true to their alternative subculture ethos. After performing track “Coup D’Etat,” lead singer Keith Morris said, “That song, that last line, ends with ‘kill all.’ That’s a pretty f—king ugly statement in ugly times. Do not think that we encourage that. “What we do encourage — what would be totally f—king happening — would be an army of Luigis [Mangione].”
Jimmy Eat World
There is a lot of “Sweetness” in every Jimmy Eat World performance, literally.
Amyl And The Sniffers
Australian rockers Amyl And The Sniffers enchanted the Coachella crowd on the first weekend of the fest. Lead vocalist Amy Taylor took time of the set to share suppot for trans, gay, Black, and more people in America, as well as Ukrainians and Palestinians. A queen.
Glixen
Glixen, our fave rising stars in the shoegaze sphere, took over the Coachella stage and crushed it. If you loved seeing them play “Splendor” above, you can catch them on their upcoming summer tour. You’ll have 0 regrets.
The Original Misfits
The OG Misfits rocked the desert this first weekend of Coachella with a 20-song setlist. Punk icons Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and more came together to perform faves such as “Hybrid Moments” and “Last Caress.” Here, you can check out their performance of “Where Eagles Dare.”
Weezer
What’s a festival without a little Weezer? Rivers Cuomo and crew played all the hits from “Undone – The Sweater Song” to “Island In The Sun.” They closed with “Buddy Holly,” of course, and brought the house down.
