Our 20 favorite music videos of 2016

While everyone in the mainstream is screaming about how music videos are “a lost art,” our scene is out here proving them wrong. This year, we had an incredible batch of artful, sinister and sometimes downright silly videos across the board. From making a statement to just making fun, here’s what caught our eyes (as well as our ears) in 2016, brought to you in partnership with our friends at Full Sail University.

A DAY TO REMEMBER – “Paranoia” (ADTR Records)

There’s nothing quite like the overarching fear of anxiety, and in A Day To Remember’s first video supporting their 2016 album Bad Vibrations, the band perfectly encapsulates the dread of lurking paranoia. Focusing on the sped-up nervous tics of Jeremy McKinnon while he’s being examined by a shrink, the vocalist and his band are soon stalked by a shadow monster through city underpasses and alleyways. Think It Follows, but with tattoos and breakdowns. Look closely, and you might catch a glimpse of ADTR’s comic book-themed AP cover. —Natasha Van Duser

BLINK-182 – “She’s Out Of Her Mind” (BMG)

Blink take it back to their earlier days with this music video by gender-flipping their ever-popular “What’s My Age Again” music video. Instead of the band members racing through the streets naked, it’s the ladies’ turn. It’s a fun premise, but it’s also extremely significant given the current state of affairs concerning women’s rights and their power over their bodies. And in place of the stereotypically hot nurse that makes them turn their heads, we get the ultimate hottie, the men of all men: Workaholics’ Adam Devine. No one can swing a stethoscope like he can. —Taylor Markarian

BRING ME THE HORIZON – “Oh No” (Columbia Records)

Equal parts performance video and odd mystery movie, this latest video from Bring Me The Horizon features some evil businessmen, lots of soundboard tinkering and… a trumpet-playing pig thing? And there’s breakdancing? Trust us, it’s good. —Mackenzie Hall

I SEE STARS – “Calm Snow” (Sumerian Records)

Remember when ISS vocalist Devin Oliver posted some photos that led to Game Of Thrones rumors circulating? Well, we finally found out what those photos were from. And while it might not be Oliver's time to shine on HBO, he and the rest of his band undoubtedly shine in “Calm Snow,” which kicks off their newest album, Treehouse. Everything from the special effects to the lighting to the major contrast between scenes and the director's vision give this video a completely different feel than any of the band's previous clips—and quite possibly anything circulating the world currently. —Bryce Hall

ISSUES – “Blue Wall” (Rise Records)

With this song, Issues took a firm stance on one of the country’s most talked about political topics. The lyrics of “Blue Wall” address police brutality, calling  for a focus on accountability, as well as voicing  their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, With  clips of protests and militarized police forces flashing between the group’s eccentric live performance. The video takes the song’s theme to the next level, much like Issues’ opinion on the subject. —Nikhail Gogia

KNUCKLE PUCK – “Pretense” (Rise Records)

The video has a Whiplash-ish vibe with some rich, old fucker making the band feel crummy in weird sets with naked alligator framed photos.  There are super cool integrations of the Copasetic album art throughout the video.  Also, something about Joe Taylor yelling at you while walking down a snowy highway gets you super pumped up.—Amber Funk

KORN – “Insane” (Roadrunner Records)

Over the years, Korn have been known to produce some pretty eerie videos. The video for “Insane” aims to keep that streak alive, as it takes place inside an old-time photo studio, where a photographer is taking headshots of a corpse (yep). Korn showcase a return to their original sound with this heavy and emotional track, and the video’s ending is something straight out of a macabre short story. —Nikhail Gogia

MELANIE MARTINEZ – “Mrs. Potato Head” (Atlantic Records)

The message of Melanie Martinez’s “Mrs. Potato Head” is clear: love yourself the way you are, and don’t change for anyone else. Illustrating that message in Martinez’s unique cinematic style, “Mrs. Potato Head” tells a sinister story that is supposed to make you sad, angry and uncomfortable all at once. Another mesmerizing piece in the visual puzzle of Martinez’s debut album Cry Baby, “Mrs. Potato Head”—while set in a creepy vintage era—makes a statement on today’s equally creepy 21st century. We’re all Martinez’s character in “Mrs. Potato Head,” struggling with society’s old-fashioned and small-minded archetypes of beauty. —Caitlyn Ralph

MEMPHIS MAY FIRE – “This Light I Hold” (Rise Records)

Who the hell kidnapped Jacoby Shaddix? Was that Levi Benton? Wait, was that also Danny Worsnop? These are all legitimate questions you will ask yourself when watching Memphis May Fire’s cinematic clip for “This Light I Hold.” Filled with an array of guest stars from Papa Roach’s frontman to the once, possibly, maybe, perhaps Cowboy King himself, “This Light I Hold” is more than just a music video; it’s a fun, adventurous step into a short film world with grand sets, a cliffhanger ending and an epic backtrack. —Natasha Van Duser

NECK DEEP – “Serpents” (Hopeless Records)

Neck Deep never fail to deliver with their high-energy videos, but “Serpents” is definitely something unique in itself. Jam packed with gritty animations and haunting imagery, this video gives off a much darker vibe than all of their others. And snakes. So many snakes… —Kaitlynn Veno

PANIC! AT THE DISCO – “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time”  (Fueled By Ramen)

Sure, a night out typically consists of dancing, drinks, raising hell and turning it up. However, Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie seems to find himself ending the night in quite the unexpected way in their video for “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time,” involving an eerie, tentacled monster and all. The point-of-view camera angles treat us to a night out with Urie himself, and if anything is clear, it’s that P!ATD’s surreal, over-the-top productions that we’ve loved since day one are still ever-present in the videos from their most recent album, Death Of A Bachelor. The ending will leave you wondering whether you’re as think as you drunk you are, and its unexpected twists and turns make it one of the most thrilling videos of the year. —Maggie Dickman

PIERCE THE VEIL – “Circles” (Fearless Records)

Nothing makes us happier than when bands put on an Oscar-worthy performance in their music videos, and Pierce The Veil nailed it. The theatrics, lighting and set design paired with the shout-outs to their friends and fellow bands made it one of our favorite videos this year. —Lindy Smith

PUP – “Sleep In The Heat” (SideOneDummy Records)

It’s easy to forget just how much musicians leave behind when they head out on tour—not just their friends and families, but their pets, as well. The latter serves as the premise for PUP’s “Sleep In The Heat” music video. The sequel to “Guilt Trip” stars Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things as a lead singer torn between the road and his sick dog. The bittersweet video even splices in footage of the band members with their real life pets, including Stefan Babcock’s chameleon, whose death inspired the song. —Anna Grace Geddes

PVRIS – “You And I” (Rise Records)

Most PVRIS music videos are instantly recognizable by their black and white, film noir aesthetic—it’s simply the perfect style for their atmospheric electro-rock. “You And I,” however, pushed the limits of their experimental visuals by incorporating artsy yet eerie surrealist imagery. Whether vocalist Lynn Gunn is covered in oil, submerged in water, filmed in profiled silhouette or hovering over her blinded bandmates like some kind of beautiful cosmic demon, “You And I” creates creepy, almost Hitchcockian images that perfectly fit their contemporary shoe-gaze ambiance. —Natasha Van Duser

REAL FRIENDS – “Mess” (Fearless Records)

Sometimes it feels like the world is just growing up without you, and “Mess” uses the ’90s Halloween aesthetic to capture that perfectly. Whether you’re too young for a party or too old to go trick-or-treating, this video shows that at the end of the day, whatever makes you feel comfortable is best and there’s always going to be someone out there who relates. —Jordan Toney

STATE CHAMPS – “Losing Myself” (Pure Noise)

Nothing describes those sun-soaked summer days better than swimsuits, sunscreen…and that awkward boss at your part-time waterpark job? Well, that’s the case in State Champs’ video for “Losing Myself,” where our favorite pop punks make their debut as the coolest lifeguards we’ve ever seen. Directed by the scene-loved Kyle Thrash, (who’s worked with the likes of Modern Baseball, Real Friends and Neck Deep), “Losing Myself” is all about embracing every moment—yes, even that boring job—and making it unforgettable. This fan-filled video has us counting down the days until summer, and it leaves us with one simple question: Where can we sign up to be a part of their next music video? —Maggie Dickman

SUM 41 – “Fake My Own Death”

Directed by Marc Klasfeld—who also worked with Sum 41 on their videos for “Fat Lip,” “In Too Deep” and “The Hell Song”—“Fake My Own Death” shows the band performing on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, where they are met by the stuff of nightmares. The vibrant video depicts the band being attacked by various internet memes for a hilarious and slightly terrifying result. In a time when we are constantly plugged into technology, it’s easy to feel bombarded and, as Deryck Whibley so aptly points out, left wanting to feel something that’s real. Besides, at this point, who hasn’t felt personally victimized by Kim Kardashian’s ass? —Rabab Al-Sharif

TAKING BACK SUNDAY – “You Can’t Look Back” (Hopeless Records)

Just when you think this is going to be another typical boy meets girl, boy and girl hang out and fall in love music video, Adam Lazzara starts bleeding from his mouth and soaking just about everyone in close proximity—what's not to love? The question is, did he apologize for bleeding on their shirts? —Lindy Smith

THE 1975 – “Somebody Else” (Dirty Hit/Polydor)

At almost 14 minutes combined, the videos for “A Change Of Heart” and “Somebody Else” are supposed to be watched together, creating an intricate and artsy short film about a simple concept: falling in and out of love. “Somebody Else” is a visual incarnation of heartbroken confusion, flanked by the wondrous land that is frontman Matty Healy’s psyche. Interwoven with details you don’t catch initially, the whole video is exaggerated and basking in hyperbole like the 1975’s style on I Like It When You Sleep. But it works. As Healy draws the now-iconic rectangle on fogged mirrors and windows throughout the video, the viewer knows that while the 1975 aren’t the minimalistic black-and-white entity they started as, those four guys from Manchester are in fact still the same band, ready to make the music world question itself with their somewhat effortless, genre-bending, shape-shifting image. —Caitlyn Ralph

TWENTY ONE PILOTS – “Heathens” (Fueled By Ramen)

Tyler and Josh rocking out to a crowd of cheering inmates is what you get when you combine Twenty One Pilots and Suicide Squad. Interspersed with footage from the DC Comics film, the video shows how well the lyrics apply to the fictional narrative of the anti-hero blockbuster, while also serving as a message to the band’s fans.—Anna Grace Geddes