The Emo Social Club Podcast

"Why do you keep going to the well hoping that you're going to find MCR-flavored water there? There's nothing there, man. MCR is not going to create anything they don't have to." Brian and Lizzie tackle the chaotic realities of the summer touring season. The conversation kicks off with a roasting of the intense heat waves plaguing European festivals, which quickly segues into a deep dive on the vi...

"When I'm writing...It's so detached. You can be wrong for an hour, and you can close your eyes and think for an hour, and it's for you to think of what's good. If I spent that hour thinking about what someone else might think about that thing, that's a wasted hour." This week, Brian and Lizzie are catch-up after Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C. and release the final interview from the fest wi...

"I think that whole 'you don't belong in this festival'—that's a manufactured media thing by people on the outside. Because when you go backstage... everybody is just fucking cool."  This week, Brian and Lizzie are catch-up after Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C. They break down the festival’s enduring backstage community, why international crowds embrace diverse lineups better than anyone else...

"This record is objectively for people who were in high school between 2006 to 2008. You cannot avoid how f***ing good Martin Johnson is as a songwriter." This week, Brian and Lizzie celebrate the nearly 20-year anniversary of Boys Like Girls' self-titled debut album. They break down the band's PureVolume and MySpace origins, Martin Johnson's undeniable songwriting chops, and why these pop-punk an...

"It's not cool to be sad. Like, there needs to be light at the end of the tunnel. And at the end of the day, we get to play something like Warped Tour. So while we are united in the fact that we all share similar experiences, you do have to still view life with optimism and know that it gets better."  As we wrap up our coverage from this weekend at Warped DC 2026, here's a rewind to our talks with...

"It didn't feel like I'm watching a show or I'm watching these members play these songs. It felt like I was in a one and a half hour thrill ride."   Brian breaks down why Bring Me The Horizon's Next Gen tour is a PS1-fueled thrill ride, and the hosts discuss the scene's reaction to Beartooth's Caleb Shomo coming out as gay. Plus, Brian and Lizzie get into the controversial new Ozzy Osbourne intera...

That is JT Woodruff, the ultimate emo wife guy. In this episode of the Make Me a Fan series, Lizzie selects five tracks from Hawthorne Heights to prove to Brian that the band is more than just early-2000s scene stereotypes. They discuss the band's history, their modern evolution, and whether Brian is ready to join the fandom. If you had five songs to convince your friend to love your favorite band...

"I would argue that Sempiternal is their re-debut album. It pivoted to something that's a little bit more poppy for the mainstream general audience... it very much was a rebranding of them in a way." This week, Brian and Lizzie dissect Bring Me The Horizon's pivotal 2013 album, Sempiternal. They discuss the addition of Jordan Fish, Oli Sykes' shift to clean vocals, and how the band laid the bluepr...

"There's video evidence of me being like 16 years old playing to zero people in a coffee shop. So I'm like, trust me, the grind has been there forever."   David Osterhout of Bike Routes sits down to discuss the viral success of "World Apart," opening for Hawthorne Heights and Young Culture, and a surreal encounter with Bruce Springsteen.   David Osterhout of South Jersey's Bike Routes is having a...

"Teen angst doesn't go away just because you get older. I think as an adult, you have less and less ways to relieve that stress of everyday life."   Multi-platinum artist Bryce Vine might be known for massive hip-hop crossover hits, but his musical DNA is pure Warped Tour.   Multi-platinum artist Bryce Vine might be known for massive hip-hop crossover hits, but his musical DNA is pure Warped Tour....

"It's been a slow burn. It's not like a commemoration of a time that we blew up... It's just an album that became more successful later on." Microwave sits down with Brian and Lizzie at the Salt Shed during their Much Love 10-Year Anniversary Tour. The band dives into their slow-burn rise to success following the 2022 Story So Far tour, the hilarious reality of crashing in Hot Mulligan's dorm lobb...

"For me, it's just like I write the song so that I could get it off my chest, and I think it's the coolest thing in the world."     LØLØ stops by the club to discuss her jump to Hopeless Records, the power of hyper-specific lyrics, and double standards for women in pop-punk.     Canadian artist LØLØ joins Brian and Lizzie to talk about her upcoming album, god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!...

We are the Popeye's chicken biscuit of the metal scene. People can't take us because they choke immediately. The first bite, they're already on the ground gagging... You can't f*** with UnityTX. UnityTX is the Popeyes chicken biscuit of the metal scene—if you aren't ready, you're going to choke. Jay Webster and the band join Lizzie right after their set at Bottom Lounge in Chicago to get real abou...

"Listen. If 9/11 didn't happen, we wouldn't have My Chemical Romance. We wouldn't have Twilight. We wouldn't have this entire Tumblr core era of girly pop."   We took the podcast to C2E2! In front of a live Chicago audience, we are unpacking the pipeline between My Chemical Romance, early 2000s pop-punk, and the comic book industry. Lizzie officially steps into her role as our resident Gerard Way...

"Well, you've been waiting this long for a white guy to explain a Mexican band to you. It's very upsetting for all involved." In this episode of the Make Me a Fan series, we're tackling one of the biggest blind spots in Lizzie's scene history: Pierce The Veil. While Brian was championing the band's "Mexicore" roots and heavy guitar work, Lizzie was busy dodging the 2010s Tumblr fangirl hype.   "In...

"We do not look like the bands that we sound like, and we don't sound like the bands that we look like, which is what I'm kinda going for."   Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait boards the tour bus to talk active rock, the rising cost of touring, and the operational reality of paid VIPs.   Recorded live from their tour bus outside Allstate Arena, Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait joins Lizzie...

"You're on stage. You're playing shows. You're going on tours, and they're like, you haven't paid your dues. It's like, I'm doing it right now. This is the dues."   Drop Dead, Gorgeous is back. After a 15-year hiatus, frontman Daniel "Stills" Stillman joins Brian and Lizzie to talk about their highly anticipated return, dropping the new EP Sink Your Teeth, and gearing up for Warped Tour.   Stills...

"I've been in bands with Adrian for the last 22 years, my entire adult life. It's crazy to think that I'm not gonna be able to do this with him, but I'm very proud of him for making the decision that he needed to make for himself."   Brompton from Action/Adventure stops by to chat about the band's upcoming headlining show at Bottom Lounge and the intense creative process behind their new record, '...

"If Paramore and Cute Is What We Aim For only released one album, I think Cute Is What We Aim For would have gone down as a more popular band." Fred Cimato joins the podcast to set the record straight on the legacy of Cute Is What We Aim For. He discusses the "indefensible" behavior of frontman Shaant Hacikyan, the stalled 2026 reunion plans, and why he hated recording 'Rotation' with John Feldman...

I think that a lot of people argue about what emo is because they're trying to protect their own identity as part of it.   The Emo Social Club debuts on Idobi Radio! Brian and Lizzie discuss the Warped Tour 2026 lineup announcements and the reality of festival budgets. Brian argues that while fans want My Chemical Romance, the price tag might be impossible for the tour to sustain.   The Emo Social...

And then it's, like, the coolest thing you've ever f***ing heard. Brian and Lizzie dive into the cultural impact and musical complexity of Twenty One Pilots' 2015 masterpiece, Blurryface. They explore the album's guerrilla marketing leak, its consortium of A-list producers, and its lasting influence on the pop landscape.     Was Blurryface the biggest record to emerge from the 2010s emo scene? Bri...

"We've always had the same kind of values in why we're doing this. That alignment, I think, helps the steadiness and longevity... The music comes first. Music is about itself. It's not, at least primarily a means to make a living."     Dustin Kensrue of Thrice on the shared values that have kept the band's lineup intact for 25 years. He discusses their unique writing process using Asana and 400+ v...

"I think we're one of the first bands that wasn't afraid of being called emo. We didn't try to tell people not to call us emo. We were actually trying to be an emo band." We're live at Warped Tour Orlando with Buddy from Senses Fail! He dives into why the band always embraced being called emo and their early days on Drive-Thru Records, while also detailing their three unique sets for the Emo's Not...

"We're not afraid of our coping mechanisms. And we're not afraid to be, shamelessly happy or shamelessly sad." We caught up with Arrows In Action at Warped Tour in their home state of Florida. The band discusses what makes them emo, the power of coping with humor, and the influence of the Warped Tour scene on their sound. They also share their excitement for their dream tour with Boys Like Girls....

Join Emo Social Club as we chat with Travis from Girlfriends about their record 'There Goes the Neighborhood,' nostalgic youth experiences, and the true meaning of emo in today's music scene. Discover how the band finds light at the end of the tunnel. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Girlfriends & Emo Night 01:05 Girlfriends' New Album: There Goes the Neighborhood 03:40 UK/Europe Tour with Kenny Hoopla & Wa...