As 2006 hurtles toward its 20-year mark, the albums that once lived on burned CDs, Myspace profiles, and Warped Tour stages now stand as cornerstone releases of a generation. From scene-defining emo to genre-shifting pop-punk, post-hardcore, and alternative breakthroughs, these records didn’t just soundtrack our youth—they shaped the entire direction of alternative music. Here are 26 albums turning 20 in 2026 that still echo louder than ever. Yellowcard — Lights And Sounds Released on January 24, 2006, Yellowcard‘s first concept album, Lights And Sounds, was released. While the album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, it ultimately underperformed… Read more »
This December, we’re feeling holly and jolly as well as celebratory for some birthdays. Now that we’re in the thick of the holiday season, we feel like these Sagittarius and Capricorn babies, who have made some of the most iconic emo, pop-punk, and indie tracks, are our true gifts. From the incredible and beloved Hayley Williams, to the iconic blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge, all the way to Slipknot‘s legendary Corey Taylor, here are some December musician birthdays to mark in your cals this month. Tyler Joseph — December 1 Twenty One Pilots‘ Tyler Joseph just wrapped an album cycle and The Clancy Tour: Breach this fall,… Read more »
Alemeda has joined forces with the “Anxiety” breakout superstar and fellow Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate Doechii on her latest offering, “Beat A B!tch Up.” “‘Beat A B!tch Up’ is about caring so deeply for someone that you’d do anything for them, even if they wouldn’t do the same for you,” Alemeda shares of the track. “Obviously, the title is not literal, it’s more about how far I’d go to show up for people, even when it hurts me.” Read more: Jonas Brothers & Yellowcard Take Milwaukee To “Ocean Avenue” “Filming the video was such an incredible experience,” she continues. “I’d… Read more »
Baltimore rockers Have Mercy have officially unveiled that a new album is on the way. the loneliest place i’ve ever been is set to arrive on August 29 via Rude Records, and features the powerful lead single, “august 17.” Featuring urgent, yearning choruses, the track explores the nuances of grief and ushers in the band’s most dynamic era yet. Vocalist Brian Swindle says, “‘august 17’ is the emotionally raw lead single capturing the ache of memory, loss, and the words left unsaid. With confessional lyrics and soaring guitars, the song is a powerful meditation of regret and the fragile nature… Read more »
Pride Month is nothing without some music from The Aces. Excitingly, the quartet just dropped a new song for your playlists, “You Got Me.” Featuring Cristal Ramirez‘s iconic, ethereal pop vocals, the band ups the ante in this new era with dazzling disco sonics and bubbly, sapphic-laced lyrics. Excitingly, this is just one song from their new album, Gold Star Baby, out everywhere on August 15 via SoundOn. So, basically, your summer and fall is about to be full of glittering queer pop bangers. This LP will follow up 2023’s I’ve Loved You For So Long. Of “You Got Me,”… Read more »
Say Anything is a band that you can’t appropriately compare to any other band. Perhaps you could attempt to use metrics like ticket sales or song charting, but certainly not in any tangible sense of emotion, delivery, or downright weirdness. Say Anything kicked the doors down when they entered the scene with a huge “Fuck You” to any preconceived notion of what a “punk” or “emo” band should be. They didn’t give a shit about being a cog in the music industry machine—in fact, they were pretty loud about their despise for it. They wanted to share their passion for… Read more »
Following the release of their Hopeless Records debut single, “i should call my friends,” in October 2023, Hey Violet has returned with their latest track, aiming to simplify the complexities of romance with “Uncomplicated.” The new single serves as an anthem for the messiness, melodrama, and the unsteadiness of young love. Against the backdrop of an array of infectious guitars and drums, the narrative unfolds, pitting the allure of complications against the predictability of a healthy relationship. Elevated by its contagious chorus and underscored by evocative lyrics, “Uncomplicated” plunges into the throes of young love. Lines such as, “I know… Read more »
Hey, Footballhead! The Chicago alt-rock band, which includes The Academy Is…’s Adam Siska and suburban indie rockstar, Snow Ellet dropped their single “Like A Blister.” The track comes from their upcoming debut album, Overthinking Everything, which arrives on March 1 via Tiny Engines. Vocalist Ryan Nolen started the project in 2022, and the latest song encapsulates a montage of melancholia. This is the third single off of their upcoming LP, and relishes the dreariness of a winter in a prominent early 2000s young adult, indie flick. The opening guitar riff is reminiscent of alt-radio faves Everclear and Gin Blossoms. It… Read more »
blink-182 is still keeping us on our toes and dropping new surprises for fans following the October release of their ninth studio album ONE MORE TIME…. Today, the trio shared a new live music video for the track “ANTHEM PART 3.” If you remember blink’s Denny’s meme moment, they played this song for a crowd at the diner, as well. Filmed across the span of multiple tour dates, the live performance video sees concertgoers crowd-surfing, fans in Enema Of The State nurse costumes, and even Mark Hoppus flipping off a car and Tom DeLonge poking Travis Barker‘s butt. Classic. Check… Read more »
FELICITY dabbles in nu-metal on their new single “Kill ‘Em All,” featuring rap-rockers Discrepancies, and released via Zodhiac Records. The song calls out hypocrisy and deception, which is highlighted in the bridge, “You need to drag us all down/Just to feel worth/But no one ever needed you/the truth hurts.” Opening with distorted vocals and a TV static-esque sound, the track goes straight into heavy rock riffs accompanied by a rap verse. The song runs under three minutes but captures a gritty and raw essence. Stitching together these sounds along with synths to slow it down, before revving up into an… Read more »
