Read more: See Taking Back Sunday break down every song on 152

When We Were Young 2024 happens over two days (each with the same lineup) at Las Vegas’ Festival Grounds, on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20, with headliners My Chemical Romance (playing 2006’s The Black Parade) and Fall Out Boy. Also performing are Pretty Girls Make Graves (their first-announced show in 17 years, playing The New Romance), Dashboard Confessional (playing Dusk and Summer), Coheed and Cambria (playing Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV), Jimmy Eat World (playing Bleed American), Simple Plan (playing No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls), the Used (playing In Love and Death), Pierce the Veil (playing Collide With The Sky), and tons more. Sunday tickets are on sale now (Saturday is sold out).

Taking Back Sunday were also recently announced on the 2024 lineups for Coachella and Bonnaroo, and they’ll also be on tour with Citizen starting in May.

Read more: Fan poll: 5 best punk vocalists of all time

With 2024’s lineup featuring My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and dozens of iconic album play sets, all we have to say is: Until next year, Las Vegas.

The 2024 iteration of When We Were Young happens on Saturday, Oct, 19 at Las Vegas Festival Grounds, led by headliners My Chemical Romance (playing 2006’s The Black Parade) and Fall Out Boy.

Read more: 15 of Fall Out Boy’s heaviest songs of all time, ranked

The bill also features Pretty Girls Make Graves (their first-announced show in 17 years, playing The New Romance), Dashboard Confessional (playing Dusk and Summer), Coheed and Cambria (playing Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV), Jimmy Eat World (playing Bleed American), Simple Plan (playing No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls), the Used (playing In Love and Death), Pierce the Veil (playing Collide With The Sky), and lots more. See it in full below.

Tickets go on presale starting Friday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. PT.

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Sum 41

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blink-182

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5 Seconds of Summer

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Less Than Jake

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Thrice

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Relient K

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Jaden Hossler

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5 Seconds of Summer

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Beach Bunny

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Good Charlotte

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Pierce The Veil

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Movements crowd

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And collide they did, and then some: from hip-hop legends to pop-punk royalty, audiences were constantly surprised as they stood in the crowd at each of the four stages throughout the weekend, watching Lil Wayne singing “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” with Good Charlotte, seeing Avril Lavigne crash the All Time Low set, and Steve Aoki collab with Yellowcard. Green Day kicked the entire weekend off with a Dookie album play, and in lockstep with blink-182, each announced a 2024 stadium tour and performed new music that had yet to be played live at the festival. Alongside the greats, exciting younger acts hit the desert too this year, artists who we’ve seen so astutely interpret this corner of alt music we’ve always loved in modern and insightful ways — from Jean Dawson to the Wrecks, EKKSTACY to KennyHoopla.

Though it’s easy to get emotional, no pun intended, that the weekend’s a wrap, we can at least revel in the gifts it gave us, and look forward to the year ahead, full of anniversary album plays, our favorite bands hitting the road, and new music — breadcrumbs that will satisfy that nostalgic itch we all have, at least until next October. 

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The Front Bottoms crowd

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The Veronicas

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Green Day

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When We Were Young crowd

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[Photo by Christian Sarkine]

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Set It Off

Fans should get excited, though, because it sounds like they may make an appearance at the fest in the future. In fact, the band is itching to play it.

Read more: 10 great Fall Out Boys songs you’ve likely never heard

In a cover story interview with NYLON, Pete Wentz said that FOB is “definitely down” to play When We Were Young in the future. He said, “I’m like, dude, if there’s any festival we should play, it should be this one.”

He mentioned their interest in playing the festival as he was speaking about the rise in nostalgia for and pop culture’s recent embrace of alternative/emo music. He said, “I had a friend who was like, ‘This is the perfect time to just do, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” again! When We Were Young Festival is still big!’” While he explains that the band wasn’t eager to completely “return to form” or make a “throwback record” with their upcoming album So (Much) for Stardust (which drops this Friday, Mar. 24), he’s happy to see the scene’s resurgence and how it’s influenced a new generation. (“Kids who go to emo night [now] because they were too young and missed it originally, I think it’s f*cking cool,” he told NYLON.)

Hopefully, with that enthusiasm, we’ll see Fall Out Boy on the 2024 bill — busting out the classics and the new sound.

Read more: Every Paramore album ranked

Today, WWWY announced that the festival will now go down on both Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Initially announced this past October, the 2023 fest will return to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds with an internet-breaking lineup that boasts some of alternative, emo, and pop punk’s most iconic acts, with Green Day, blink-182, and Good Charlotte among the top lines of the bill. Gym Class Heroes, Joyce Manor, Michelle Branch, Rise Against, Simple Plan, Something Corporate, Sum 41, 5 Seconds of Summer, among many others, are also set to play. 

While October can’t come soon enough, you can officially start counting down the days until you’re able to scream along to your favorite songs once again by signing up for the Day 2 presale here. Presale tickets become available Friday, Feb. 24 at 5pm ET/2pm PT, and any remaining tickets will go to the general on-sale one hour later on the 24th at 6pm ET/3pm PT, with GA tickets starting at $279.99, and GA+ and VIP bundles available, as well. For more information, check out the festival’s website. 

Williams and Youssef say it was when they rounded out their lineup and added Sean McCall on guitar, Ryan Cullen on bass, and Chris Kearney on drums that they really became what people know as Sweet Pill. Together, Sweet Pill is crafting a love letter to the Philly music scene and its community through their music — which is exactly what they aim to share with the rest of the world, show by show. 

Read more: Militarie Gun makes genre-bending hardcore that is constantly evolving

In May 2022, the band released their first LP Where the Heart Is, a 10-track record full of emo anthems that fuse hardcore with pop sensibilities. Their title track takes math rock elements and blends them with strong melodic hardcore guitar riffs and punchy lyrics — confidently introducing the band to the world through their freshman effort. 

You don’t have to look any further than the album’s cover art to see the impact Philly has had on the group. “The painter [who did the album art] was my neighbor in South Philly. During quarantine when I used to hang out on my roof, he would be out there on this roof painting,” Williams says. “I would play my guitar and he’d always tell me I should write a record. I was like, ‘I did,’ and sent it to him.”

Little did Williams know: His next-door neighbor was artist Kerry Dunn, a successful portraitist whose award-winning work has been exhibited across the country for over three decades. Through neighborly camaraderie and a shared love of art and music, Sweet Pill and Dunn collaborated to create a portrait for Where the Heart Is that has been captivating prospective listeners since the album’s release. 

“The album art helped a lot with people randomly listening to us,” Youssef says of the eye-catching image of her own likeness. After fans were reeled in by the art, they found that Sweet Pill’s music speaks for itself, and kept coming back for more. “All it took was somebody to share it with somebody.” 

Luckily for Sweet Pill, one of those “somebodies” happened to be none other than Jordan Dreyer of the beloved post-hardcore band La Dispute. In September and October 2022, Sweet Pill joined fellow opener Pictoria Vark for the North American leg of La Dispute’s tour celebrating the delayed 10 year anniversary of their album Wildlife.

“We found out maybe two or three weeks into the tour that the singer of La Dispute is the one who found us and who pitched us for the tour,” Williams says. “It wasn’t a booking agent that recommended us or someone who was trying to do us a favor — our music was received well enough on the internet that someone like him found it.”

For Sweet Pill, the Wildlife anniversary tour was their biggest one yet. “I had to get a passport so we could play our two shows in Canada,” Kearney says. “Even being on the west coast was huge. I’ve never been to California at all so being able to play shows and get out there because of the music we create has been awesome.” 

In Philly, Sweet Pill has played everywhere from the skate park to the streets outside a brewery. Touring on such a large scale for the first time, the band who’s used to playing such lively shows in Philly’s DIY punk scene couldn’t help but notice the differences between crowds across the US and Canada. 

“At first, I was a little thrown off that people were just standing still to our set,” Williams says. “It took me a show or two to realize that it’s actually more meaningful that they are not moving around and that they’re just paying attention and listening.”

Even in less rowdy environments, the band and their listeners seem to bring a bit of that Philly energy to stages across the tour. It’s not uncommon to hear the band or their fans screaming in support of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Philly in general by extension, during a Sweet Pill show.

“We like yelling ‘Go Birds!’” McCall says.

“Nobody really cares about sports in our band, but it’s part of the charm,” Youssef says, with McCall chiming in that it’s “like Shalom!” Or as Kearney describes, “Like Shalom: Hello,’ ‘Goodbye,’ ‘Go fuck yourself.’”  

Whether it’s through hometown pride or meeting fans after shows, the band emphasizes how important it is to them that they feel connected with the people who come out to see them perform. “One person came up to me and was having a really bad week. He was shaking and very nervous and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Like, what can I do?’” Youssef says. “I gave him a hug and it was a very long one. It was new to me to experience that.”

It’s a testament to how much their melodic hardcore music resonates, and a feeling Sweet Pill knows all too well, having looked up to their favorite bands just the same when they were younger.

“I knew when that person went home they were gonna think about it the same way I did when I met Paramore for like 30 seconds. I didn’t shower for a week!” she says. “I’m not trying to have a big head about it, but these lyrics and this music is out there and it creates feelings for people. That’s the whole point, for me, at least.”

Sweet Pill are also taking the communal aspect of the Philly DIY scene with them on the road. When the first date of the Las Vegas pop-punk music festival When We Were Young was canceled due to inclement weather in October 2022, many of the bands slated to play immediately began scouring Vegas for venues to host impromptu sideshows. But because of the way the festival grounds were organized, it wasn’t easy to get their gear off their tour buses and to the gig. Serendipitously, enter Sweet Pill, who were in town for the festival while in between tour dates with La Dispute, and had transportation and easily accessible gear. 

“Because all these bands had their buses parked in such a way at the festival grounds, their gear was hard to move out,” Youssef explains. As luck would have it, Sweet Pill was driving around Vegas in their retrofitted mini school bus that doubles as the band’s sleeping quarters and gear transportation. Because La Dispute was scheduled to perform at When We Were Young Fest, Sweet Pill had a break in the schedule on the Wildlife tour and decided to attend the festival. Suddenly, their little blue bus full of gear became their golden ticket to scoring a slot playing one of the evening’s last minute shows.

Youssef describes the band as being like “a package deal with La Dispute” for the weekend, so when La Dispute announced their Saturday-night sideshow with Mom Jeans and the Wonder Years, Sweet Pill was the band that snagged the final slot to round out the lineup. Each band playing that show ended up using Sweet Pill’s backing equipment — including Chris Kearney’s drumkit adorned with the band’s album cover art and they all took time out of their set to shout out and thank the band while the crowd took photos and videos that displayed Dunn’s portrait work.

[Photo by Max Shaw]

The following day at the fest was no less chaotic. While Youssef had an artist wristband to perform onstage with La Dispute, her bandmates did not. That aside, they all walked with purpose past security — brandishing their Wildlife anniversary tour laminates that conveniently matched the color of the festival artist passes. (“Security was like ‘Oh yeah, let us walk you to your trailer,’… “We don’t have a trailer!” says Youssef.) Save for a few run-ins with individual security guards, they spent much of Sunday sneaking backstage and into VIP artist lounges where they rubbed shoulders with the likes of Parker Canon of the Story So Far and Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara.

With When We Were Young Fest behind them and the La Dispute tour over, Sweet Pill has their sights set on the future. In December 2022, the band joined Into It. Over It. for their Chicago hometown show, as well as the Philly-based Champagne Jam hosted by the Front Bottoms. 

A dream of theirs, though, is to collaborate with Paramore. To say Youssef is a Paramore stan would be an understatement. While most members of the band answered audibly about who they would like to work with, Youssef, on the other hand, got up, picked up a copy of Alternative Press with Hayley Williams on the cover, and held it while standing next to one of the many Paramore posters hanging on her wall. 

Even without watching how excitedly Youssef bounced around her room talking about Paramore, Sweet Pill’s love for the band shines through in their music. Listening to “High Hopes,” or “Diamond Eyes” one can hear “All You Know Is Falling”-esque vocal breakdowns. Even more, Youssef herself says the band’s song “Cut” was inspired by “Simmer” from Williams’ solo project, Petals for Armor.

The band made it clear that if there’s another iteration of Paramore’s cruise event Parahoy! and they’re looking to fill out their roster, Sweet Pill is on deck. There’s no doubt the band could use their Philly roots to develop the currently non-existent DIY scene at sea.

Read more: 5 things we learned from HOLY FVCK, Demi Lovato’s raucous return to rock

Among the brash beats, raging guitars and furious drums, Royal & The Serpent’s dichotomy between embracing life and exploring its twisted darkness rages on. Building up over a collection of EPs over the last couple of years, 2022 has found her reaching new heights and, more importantly, positivity. From featuring on Sleeping With Sirens‘ Complete Collapse to touring with Demi Lovato (and also appearing on HOLY FVCK) — along with the bringing to life of her mindset in the form of music video chapters for Happiness‘ five tracks — it seems everything is coming up Royal.

How are you feeling now that your positive step is out in the world?

It’s been really cool. I’m really proud of this music, and I feel like everything’s going well. I’m just excited about everything that’s going on right now. 

Now that it’s all pulled together, how do you feel the whole concept has come to life?

I think the goal with the project, in general, was largely about my mental state, and I really wanted to get a hold of my own happiness — and I think that it worked, [and] I’m happier than I’ve ever been. It was a test to see if our words and our thoughts really were as powerful as I’ve heard that they can be, and it turns out that they are.

How has embracing positivity played out for you?

Compared to some of the music that I’ve put out before, which is largely about not being in a great mental state and not looking to change that, I think this whole project was really about trying to get there. Getting to sing this music every night comparatively to maybe some of the music that’s more about depression has helped my mental state so immensely, and I just feel better than I have in a really long time.

It seems like it’s easier to capture people’s imaginations with visuals. How do you set about that?

I’ve always just loved film. I love music as well, but I think if I wasn’t making music, I’d probably be making movies in some capacity. That’s why I love being an artist because I get to sing, I get to dance, I get to make little mini-movies, I get to be onstage. There are so many different parts of being a musical act. I grew up in dance and theater and making home videos of my friends, and all of these things made me who I am today. Now I get to do all of them on a professional large scale, which is so cool.

For the elaborate video-chapter rollout, what was your mood board?

The original thought and idea were to make them all one long video, but it was posing to be a little bit more difficult than we thought it was going to be. So we decided to just go with the transitions instead. But the idea was to play on the fourth wall element, and we wanted it to feel like not only were you a part of each of these rooms — which are each of these different places in my mind — but you’re also seeing what it’s like for me to be the artist that’s playing these characters. So you’re breaking the fourth wall, and you’re coming with me to each room. You’re seeing me getting my makeup fixed, [and] you’re seeing the fast-paced nature of it all because I think that also has so much to do with my mental state and my happiness and the overall theme of the project.

How do you differentiate between the artist and the character?

I’m both, and I like that I get to be both. It definitely can be difficult, and Ryan can get lost in it sometimes, but Ryan is still at the end of the day the person that makes the art, and I think it comes back to the observer and the mind. It’s all a part of the same equation. It’s just a matter of how aware you can be and your perspective on it.

With that, what do you see your output building up to?

Each project so far has built upon the last one. I’ve always just really wanted to show my journey in the hopes that maybe I can help other people that are experiencing anything similar. And I think that they’ve all shown growth. For a long time, I’ve reminded people that it’s OK to feel whatever they’re feeling, and it’s OK to be sad. It’s OK to be hurt. But I also wanted to show people that it’s possible to grow and that it’s possible to get better, and that you can take your power back and you are in charge of your life. I hope that people feel that way as well when they listen to this project.

What have been some empowering moments for you?

There’s been so many. Getting to work with Demi has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I think getting to become close to someone that not only I looked up to so much growing up as a kid, but that I’ve seen so much of their life and their struggles, of the things that they’ve gone through in the public eye, and then getting to know them on a deeper level, and getting to create with them and be a part of the world that they’ve created has been… It’s honestly hard to believe and hard to wrap my head around, but so empowering to be around such a strong figure. It’s been incredible.

What do you attribute that connection to?

I can’t imagine really what they’ve been through. I know we all know so much of what they’ve been through just because there’s been so much that we’ve learned throughout their whole career, but I think on a much smaller scale, I’ve experienced a lot of similar things. We’ve bonded over being there for each other as someone to lean on and someone to talk to. There’s a lot of people that don’t really care about you and don’t care about your well-being in this world — this industry — and from day one, we both sensed that we cared about each other, and that is hard to come by. It’s really special, and I’m really grateful for it.

You recently played the nostalgia-soaked When We Were Young Festival, too. How was that as a new artist? 

It was interesting. I wish I did some sort of cool cover for the fans or something like that. But at the same time, there were so many people there and so many young people that knew my music and that came to my stage to see me. It’s also just crazy that I got to see some of these bands perform that I’m feeling nostalgic about.

What was the empowering music you listened to when you were younger?

There was so much I loved. All the emo music and stuff at the time, but I think the biggest thing that I cared about the most was Paramore. Obviously, [Hayley Williams] being a female frontwoman in a scene, especially at that time, was a lot more difficult I think than it is today, and she just fucking rocked it and is still thriving. She’s so special. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

How does it feel having these life-affirming moments in a year when you’ve released an EP that’s a move into a brighter outlook?

Oh, wild. I’m looking around at my life, and I keep reminding myself to say thank you over and over again because I think the more that we can appreciate, the more that it multiplies. It all feels really surreal. A lot of it feels like I can’t believe it’s happening, and I think sometimes the thoughts will come in like it’s all gonna fall away. We can be our own worst enemies at times. So I just keep reminding myself to say thank you because it all feels really good and really crazy. 

And how do you feel about the future?

I’m really excited that I’m in a good headspace because I think that life’s possibilities seem a lot more endless when you can see a future, as opposed to not being able to see what today or tomorrow holds. So I think personally I’m excited because I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it all feels exciting. Sonically, I’m really excited. So much of my music has been about mental health, and I really want to dive into something a little bit different with whatever comes next. I’d love to start talking about love because I think it’s something that I haven’t really done yet, and that excites me.

Read more: Sick New World, the nü-metal version of When We Were Young, unveils stacked lineup

We’re also aware that the holidays are right around the corner, and for us, that means stocking up on all the latest merch. This year boasted plenty of stellar releases from Denzel Curry, MUNA, Maggie Lindemann and the 1975, among others. Beyond music, though, the brands that we champion and how we present ourselves to the world help us stand out from the rest. After all, alternative doesn’t just define music anymore. It permeates the worlds of fashion, beauty and culture as well.

If you’re short on gift ideas this season, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. From comfy kicks and bold jewelry to page-turner books and the coolest variants for your vinyl-loving dad, we put together the ultimate shopping guide that’ll have your loved ones beaming.

Plus, don’t miss holiday shopping picks from Meet Me @ The Altar, chloe moriondo, Royal & the Serpent, Brand of Sacrifice and others.

Grab a copy of our Winter 2022 issue here or below.