Las Vegas became the epicenter of emo and alternative nostalgia this weekend for When We Were Young Festival‘s fourth year on Saturday October 18 and Sunday October 19 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Sharing the same lineup each day, the festival ran starting at 11:15 sharp, sprawled across multiple stages, was packed with myspace ready singalongs, long-awaited reunions, and even a few surprises.
With more than 50 bands splitting time across four stages — the 7-Eleven Stage, Pink Stage, Ghost Stage, and Allianz Stage — fans were spoiled for choice. But the undisputed highlight of the day was the triumphant return of Panic! At The Disco, back on stage after their 2023 hiatus, performing A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out in its entirety for its 20th anniversary.
2025 marked a milestone for When We Were Young as 7-Eleven became the festival’s first-ever naming rights partner. A bold move that expanded the convenience store giant’s reach from corner aisles to concert stages. Fans cooled off with free slushies from 7-Eleven under the Nevada sun and soaked in the community and music surrounding them.
Loud music is part of the magic at a festival like When We Were Young, but protecting your hearing doesn’t have to kill the vibe and that’s exactly where Eargasm stepped in. Their booths quickly became a go-to stop, handing out high-fidelity earplugs that lowered the volume just enough to keep ears safe without sacrificing sound quality. For anyone bummed they may have missed our, exclusive Eargasm x WWWY earplugs are available online.
On top of the essentials, this year fans had many options to snag merch. The Official Festival Merch Tent(s) started opening up days prior to the event allowing fans to get their merch before the event. The booths were stocked with lineup tees, hoodies, hats, and posters exclusive to 2025, and select band merch. Inside the venue a single Official Artist Merch Tent housed band-specific merch all in one place. Lines for both were long, and popular sizes sold out quickly, so the best move is to hit the festival merch pop-up or early-morning tent before gates open.
The amenities were a fun bonus, but at the end of the day when the music kicked off, the crowd made it clear why they were really there: the bands, the songs, and the chance to scream every word back at the stage.
The 7-Eleven Stage offered one of the most stacked lineups of the festival. The Summer Set kicked things off, followed by Mayday Parade, marking their third consecutive year at the festival. The Story So Far kept the energy high, before the crowd belted every word with Simple Plan. All Time Low delivered one of the afternoon’s biggest surprises when they brought out Blackbear for “Monsters,” the first the two performed it live together since 2020, making it a rare and welcome reunion. The hits kept coming with The Offspring and Weezer, but the night truly belonged to Panic! At The Disco.
After parting ways in early 2023, few expected Brendon Urie to step back into the spotlight so soon and fewer still expected him to bring the entire Fever album back to life. From “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” to the closing notes of “Build God, Then We’ll Talk,” the band ripped through the record, performing some of the tracks for the first time in a decade.
Closing the set through the set, Urie stunned the crowd by welcoming original drummer Spencer Smith back on stage for a second round of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
As if that wasn’t enough, announced quietly at a pop-up outside the festival grounds on Fremont Street and 4th between 12-2pm, the band hinted at the future a deluxe 20th anniversary edition of A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.
Running on a staggered schedule with the 7-Eleven Stage, the Pink Stage carried its own heavy-hitting lineup. Destroy Boys and Boys Like Girls set the tone early. Martin Johnson of BLG playfully leaned into nostalgia, asking the crowd to put their phones down for the second round of “The Great Escape.” Later, Yellowcard reminded everyone why “Ocean Avenue” remains timeless, while Knocked Loose brought a hardcore edge to the emo-dominated weekend. The Used balanced chaos and melody before Avril Lavigne took her turn at pop-punk royalty status. During “Young & Dumb,” she invited Simple Plan back to the stage, making the collaboration feel like a Warped Tour meets Myspace fever dream come true. Closing duties went to Blink-182, who powered through a hit-laden setlist that reminded everyone why they remain headliners after nearly three decades.
If the Ghost Stage felt like a stage you would have stumbled upon at Warped Tour in the early 2010s, it’s because chances are if they were on this stage, they were at one point also on Warped Tour. The Rocket Summer got hearts swelling, while We The Kings’ Travis Clark dedicated “I Feel Alive” to his kids and even led the audience through a dance they choreographed together years ago. The Cab made their first live festival appearance in a decade, while The Maine and Beartooth pulled in massive crowds. The stage closed with Asking Alexandria, proving the heavier side of the lineup was just as cherished.
The Allianz Stage showcased a blend of up-and-comers and cult favorites. Arms Length, Holding Absence, and Taylor Acorn kicked off the afternoon, while Don Broco stormed the stage fresh off announcing their first U.S. headline tour. Later sets included Plain White T’s (who had the crowd swaying to “Hey There Delilah”), PVRIS, and a high-energy, theatrical performance from Ice Nine Kills.
When We Were Young 2025 wasn’t just about music or the fans needed a place to cool down, it leaned heavily into experiences, thanks to its partners and sponsors.
When We Were Young 2025 felt like it defined a generation of emo kids who had grown older, but not quite ready to grow up from their beloved emo music. Each stage had its own magic, but Panic! At The Disco’s reunion and full-album set was the heartbeat of the festival this year.
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