Vans Warped Tour 2026 D.C.: Best Things We Saw

“This will officially be the biggest production the world has ever seen from our band,” Yellowcard’s Ryan Key told Rolling Stone before the pop-punk rockers closed out the D.C. Warped Tour stop on Sunday night. They did not lie. From the very first song, the pop-punk band literally brought the heat with pyrotechnics and confetti flying out. Their set marked a special moment for the band, marking the first time they ever closed out a major festival — and they made sure to honor every second of it. Throughout their hour-long set, the band included clips and references to iconic films from Ghostbusters to Top Gun, adding to the cinematic feel of their performance. But the over-the-top production was only supplemental to the band’s incredible energy as they ripped through their catalog, Key’s vocals top-notch as Sean Mackin killed it on the band’s signature violin. Before they wrapped things up with their pop-punk classic “Ocean Avenue,” Key even took time out to tell the crowd about how special the night was for Yellowcard: “We owe more than I could ever express in words to Kevin Lyman and all of our friends and family that put together the Vans Warped Tour and make bands like Yellowcard what we have become today.” —Maya Georgi

The sun was blazing down on RFK Stadium when the Menzingers kicked things into high-gear with their early afternoon set on Saturday. The Philly punk rockers opened with their 2014 banger “I Don’t Want to Be an Asshole Anymore,” to the delight of the crowd, which screamed along to every word. Throughout their 30-minute set, the Menzingers brought all the energy as they  performed a couple of songs from their forthcoming LP Everything I Ever Saw, which is out later this summer. Of course, the outspoken band took a moment to reference D.C.’s other big event that weekend before performing their 2020 track “America (You’re Freaking Me Out).” 

“The love part is really stressing me out these days,” lead singer Barnett said of the song’s lyrics. But there was something incredibly cathartic about yelling “America I love you, but you’re freaking me out,” in D.C. with the current administration in the back of everyone’s minds. —M.G.

Summer 2026 will be remembered as the one that the Front Bottoms made their fantastic Warped Tour debut. It was clear that the New Jersey indie rockers were overjoyed to finally rock the festival, on the main stage no less, as they exuded a palpable joy with each song, even their saddest ones. After their performance of “The Beers” turned into a sing-a-long moment, lead singer Brian Sella said, “It’s been a long time coming Warped Tour 2026,” wearing a giant smile. “We know how lucky we are that we get to be here and play music,” he added before diving into fan-favorite “Twin Size Mattress.” —M.G.

It’s no secret that Taking Back Sunday’s live shows vary performance to performance, especially given how Adam Lanza has strained his voice over years of emo scream-singing. But the band fully delivered this time. Taking Back Sunday came out onstage dressed in their Sunday best, even though it was Saturday, wearing matching brown trousers and suit jackets on the scorching hot day. Guitarist John Nolan and guitarist Fred Mascherino, who have been in the band at different points, united onstage, elevating Lanza’s singular energy with sharp riffs and backing vocals on the band’s emo classics. With each anthemic song, Lanza continued to prove that, yes, mics are indeed made for swinging as he flung the mic chord around his neck. 

And if Lanza had the mic, well, the crowd brought the mosh pit and emphatic energy, spewing every lyric with the overdramatic flair they were intended for. —M.G.

In the mid-2010s, Sleeping With Sirens became a Warped Tour staple band, and their 2026 performance in D.C. reminded audiences why. The rock band drew massive crowds and infectious high energy with their Saturday main stage set, moving between hits like “A Trophy Father’s Trophy Son” and songs from their newly released LP An Ending in Itself. Lead singer Kellin Quinn sported a gray t-shirt for the performance that read “Hate It Here,” and made a point to explain he wasn’t trying to share a negative message, but was supporting his stepson’s band of the same name. (Hate It Here will be opening for Sleeping With Sirens on their fall tour.) For their final song, the band closed out with “If You Can’t Hang,” and it felt like nearly the entire audience at the Vans stage was clapping along. —M.G.

New Found Glory delivered an hour of amped-up performances, digging deep into their catalog to honor their nearly three decades as a band. Frontman Jordan Pudnik was the ultimate hype man, pulling no punches as he ran across the Vans stage and riled up every corner of the audience, imploring them to raise their fists in the air to the charged pop-punk anthems. At one point, NFG took a moment to celebrate bassist Ian Grushka, and Pudnik even took over the bass himself to cover Pennywise’s “Bro Hymn.” By far, the biggest highlight was when the band took a moment to shoutout founding guitarist Chad Gilbert, who is currently fighting cancer. “Give it up for Chad!” Pudnik shouted as the audience exploded as loud as they could. —M.G.

Jimmy Eat World hasn’t played Warped Tour in 25 years, so it only felt right for the rock band to come back to the festival just as they are celebrating their seminal album Bleed American, which turns 25 this summer. The band played the album all the way through in tracklist order, rocking out to  hits like “The Middle” and “A Praise Chorus” right at the beginning of the set. But Jimmy Eat World never lost their vivacity as they continued to play through the LP. “I can’t express the gratitude I have for being onstage, performing these songs that we wrote when we were kids,” Jim Atkins told the audience. Jimmy Eat World wrapped things up with a non Bleed American  track — their 2004 hit “Pain” — rocking out till the last note. —M.G.

Hot Mulligan has been firing up the festival circuit, showing up at Warped Tour just one week after playing Gov Ball (they’ve also been opening for Joyce Manor.) So much of what made their performance on Sunday so great was that they sounded awesome and put their politics on display, with lead singer Nathan “Tades” Sanville encouraging any Trump lovers to fuck off and leave the set immediately, something that hit especially hard in D.C. Even better, they left aside some of the bratty kid antics from Gov Ball (Sanville had led the crowd in booing the VIP side of the stage, which, come on, dude — there are people with kids, families, and medical issues who pay VIP to see your set) — and instead focused on an airtight performance. By the time they got to the wallop of “BCKYRD” and “Equip Sunglasses” at the end, everyone was screaming along and begging for an encore. —J.L.

Honest to God, who was more riotous, more rebellious, and more full of conviction than the Lambrini Girls at Warped Tour? The English punk rockers parked up on the Verizon Stage late in the afternoon on Sunday and absolutely ripped as they called out fascism, sexism, and the decline of democracy in between razor-sharp tracks. They had the entire crowd yelling during standouts “Cuntology 101” and “Big Dick Energy,” and then decided they wanted to play more songs for fans, rules and set times be damned. “We’ll probably get in trouble,” they admitted, but still tore into their guitars before their mics got unplugged. Big dick energy, we’ve never seen it this intensely. —J.L.

The Story So Far immediately followed up New Found Glory’s set on the main stage Sunday night, which made for a brilliant full-circle moment. The Walnut Creek punk rockers got their name from NFG’s song of the same title and their killer set showed everything they learned from the band — and how much further they could take it. As they tore into fan-favorites like “Roam,” “High Regard,” and “Empty Space,” the audience knew every word, leaving lead singer Parker Cannon to step back, take out his in-ears, and embrace the moment. “Punk rock will never die,” the frontman said, his glee on full display as he smiled and moved around the stage in a manner reminiscent of the band’s earlier years on Warped Tour. —M.G.

The Used easily had one of the most engaged crowds on Saturday night, launching into their set at the Off the Wall Stage just after Taking Back Sunday. Fans were there for the drama, wailing back as they kicked off with “Pretty Handsome Awkward” and continued with favorites like “Take It Away” and “I Caught Fire.” The band last played in 2019 and singer Bert McCracken made it look easy, switching between practically operatic wails and love for the crowd. The big finale came at the end: “Taste of Ink” and “A Box Of Sharp Objects” as a double whammy, with a quick Nirvana riff spliced in there. —J.L.

Third Eye Blind had never played Warped Tour before this year (Stephen Jenkins admitted it was his first time there), yet they drew a massive crowd to their debut on the Vans stage on Saturday. It was peak heat on a day that constantly tipped into 90-degree weather, yet the whole thing kind of worked in their favor: Fans, who ranged from loud millennials to nostalgic tweens, got sun-lit California vibes as Jenkins worked through a solid collection of old classics (“Graduate,” “Narcolepsy,” “Losing A Whole Year”), plus all the massive radio hits for wailing along (“Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “How’s It Going to Be.”) To add in some surprises, Jenkins threw in a couple of covers, keeping the crowd singing with David Bowie’s “Heroes” and a solid rendition of TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me.” —J.L.

Though Glassjaw has been known for sporadic tours and even more sporadic album releases, they’ve been on the road for a bit in 2026 — and it shows. The band followed up Gwar’s wild set at Beatbox on Saturday but unleashed an energy all their own, leading legions of fans in careening scream-a-longs to longtime favorites like “Ape Dos Mil” and “Tip Your Bartender.” Frontman Daryl Palumbo sounded studio-level, raw, guttural, and sharp as ever, sticking the landing on one of the afternoon’s most solid performances. —J.L.