I write When We Were Young Fest 2025 — not tragedies

Stepping onto the Las Vegas Festival Grounds for When We Were Young 2025 felt like every millennial’s early 2000s daydream. Before even getting through the gates, the hype was so real, with the line for the festival merch booth wrapping around the outside entrance; fans were eagerly waiting to snag swag before the day even began. Once inside, the crowd was greeted by the grandiose “When We Were Young” archway — the festival’s photo op centerpiece — that prompted groups of friends to pose with nostalgia-fueled excitement.

Walking deeper into the grounds, off to the far left, attendees were greeted with the Allianz Stage, where some of the heaviest sets of the festival partook. DRAIN kicked off the day with a chaotic hardcore energy, while Plain White T’s brought everyone back to simpler days with their melodic sing-alongs. Later on in the day, We Came As Romans and Story of the Year set the scene with some metalcore performances that had the crowd going nuts with every word. By dusk, the Allianz Stage hosted Chiodos, giving fans a taste of mid-2000s post-hardcore glory, as well as Loathe with their haunting melodies and Kublai Khan TX and Sunami — the latter bringing raw aggression that had the pit consistently circling.

Right in the middle of the grounds stood the Ghost Stage — the perfect spot for pop punk and alt-rock lovers.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus obviously performed “Face Down”, with the entire crowd screaming it word-for-word. We The Kings kept the vibes going with favorites like “Check Yes Juliet”, following The Maine’s main attraction of “Into Your Arms”. Later in the day, letlive., Beartooth, Breathe Carolina, Bad Religion, Alexisonfire, and Taking Back Sunday performed with the same passion that built up the emo genre that’s lasted 20-plus years. It’s almost like the crowd never left 2005. I Prevail, Motionless In White, and Asking Alexandria closed the stage down with metalcore screams and arena-like sounds.

Near the Ghost and Allianz Stages stood another massive festival merch area, offering artist merch that drew lines nearly as packed as the main stages. The Vegas sun was intense, but with hydration stations and food scattered across the festival, fans were well-prepared to thrive under the summer-like heat. For those needing a breather, the activations to the right of the grounds offered loads of fun, like the 7-Eleven Hangout (which served up free Slurpees and custom airbrush tattoos) and branded pop-ups like That Tito’s Thing, Don Julio’s Tequila Oasis, Coors Light Mountain, BeatBox Party Club, and the White Claw Shore Club for the 21+ crowd. For non-drinkers, the Ghost Lounge kept fans caffeinated with energy drinks to power through the 12-hour music marathon.

At the far end of the festival grounds stood the two main stages side-by-side.

The 7-Eleven Stage and Pink Stage had the biggest names playing back-to-back with zero overlap. This is where emo dreams came true. If you got in early, the 7-Eleven stage hosted Mayday Parade, who played the best heartbreak songs like “Jamie All Over” and “Miserable at Best”. Without moving too far (or at all), Boys Like Girls took the Pink Stage next, performing hits like “The Great Escape” as the crowd poured over.

The rest of the late afternoon belonged to a nonstop stream of legends: Yellowcard stimulated the crowd with “Ocean Avenue” before Simple Plan had everyone screaming along to “I’m Just a Kid” among other bangers from high school and middle school days, while Knocked Loose’s pit turned into pure insanity with their heavy breakdowns. The Used then reminded everyone why they’re scene royalty, performing with the same fire they’ve had since 2004.

But nothing compared to the final two acts that united the entire festival.

Blink-182’s set was one heavily relying on selects from Enema of the State, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, and their self-titled album. Every single song brought massive sing-alongs and pure bliss. Then came the hometown heroes Panic! At The Disco, who are currently celebrating 20 years of A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out — played this night in full theatrical glory. Brendon Urie’s stunning vocals spoke volumes as the crowd screamed every word of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”; it was nearly 85,000 voices shouting “what a shame the poor groom’s bride is a… 🤫”. The sound nearly echoed across the Las Vegas Blvd.

When We Were Young 2025 was a celebration of the living emo / pop punk / hardcore / alt rock scene — it was never just a phase! For those ready for another trip to Sin City, dates for WWWY 2026 are already selected. Now, just to wait for the lineup drop!

Photography by Franny Kovacs; recap article by Celeste Basich

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