Preview: When We Were Young Music Festival is The Return of Emo Nostalgia
PREVIEW
PREVIEW
☆ BY ELIJAH CLOWER ☆
Photo By Luther Redd
THIS OCTOBER 18 AND 19, THE LAS VEGAS FESTIVAL GROUNDS will transform into emo headquarters again as When We Were Young returns for its 2025 edition — leaning fully into throwback energy with a lineup stacked for maximum nostalgia and moments. Its roots remain planted in early-2000s emo, pop-punk and alternative, but it carries forward with an eye for relevance, younger fans and reunion-style surprises.
From Panic! to Punk Royalty: The 2025 Roster
The 2 Headline giants Blink-182 and Panic! at the Disco will split the weekend, with Panic! celebrating the 20th anniversary of A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out by performing it in full. With some heavy sub-headliners stacking the lineup with Weezer, Avril Lavigne, The Offspring, All Time Low, Knocked Loose, The Used, and more. It’s a stacked bill intended to pull fans from across genres who grew up with these records, as well as younger listeners encountering them now.
Sideshows
Don’t sleep on the When We Were Young 2025 Sideshows—they’re shaping up to be small-stage bangers before the festival even opens. Shows are already locked in for October 17, including an AREA15 gig with Story of the Year & The Cab and a Pearl Concert Theater show with Ice Nine Kills. These sidestage nights give fans a chance to catch artists in tighter, more intense settings, no competing stage times, no jostling through massive crowds. If you want that up-close energy before the main festival overload, these are the ones to watch.
Access, Tickets & Experience
Tickets are still live for Sunday, with Saturday being sold out. General Admission starts at $425, with higher tiers like GA+ and VIP priced higher. These tiers offer perks like shaded lounge access, better restrooms and entry access, and premium viewing areas. There is no festival parking, so plan transportation accordingly. Between stage-to-stage runs, vendors, merch tents and surprise activations, there will be plenty to do throughout the weekend. The festival grounds open up at 11 am with the first act, Her Leather Jacket kicking things off at 11:35 am, and with Panic! At The Disco closing things out at 10 pm. Set times have also been released below so make sure you plan your day so you don’t miss any of the action!
