Riot Fest sucks, but the bands certainly do not.
Despite nonstop rain turning Douglass Park into a giant mud pie, attendees came out to the festival in droves. While early-shutdown on Saturday and late-start on Sunday reduced the bands we were actually able to see, the shortened schedules didn’t make the cuts to this list any less painful.
Without further ado, here are my top ten favorite sets at Riot Fest 2026.
All photos not attributed to official Riot Fest photographers are credited to J. Knoell.
10. Panic Shack
One of the bands we got to start the weekend with was Welsh punk band Panic Shack. While we were really only able to catch the back half of their set, they brought the “riot” to Riot Fest. The band’s righteous rage could be felt from across Douglass Park as they blasted out tracks including “Tit School” and “Pockets”. Lead vocalist Sarah Harvey changed some of the lyrics of the latter song so she could scream “FREE PALESTINE” to close out their set. Well-said, ladies.
9. The Paradox
During The Paradox’s set at the Riot Stage, a friend of mine described their sound as, “a group of kids who found a stack of Simple Plan CDs in their garage and it changed their life”. I couldn’t come up with a better description if I tried. The Atlanta-based quartet have clear influence from the classics without being indebted to them, and co-lead vocalists Eric Dangerfield and Xelan Bernard have a fun Tom DeLonge/Mark Hoppus dynamic going on. Songs like the youthfully frustrated “Do Me Like That” are carrying the torch for the latest generation of pop punk. I’m excited to see what they do next.
8. Aim High
Chicago-based punk band Aim High is, in a word, immaculate. From the moment they began their set with a clip from the Spongebob Squarepants Krabby Patty Training video, I knew we were in for something great. They absolutely delivered, energizing our Riot Fest day two with tracks like “Gender Neutral Happy Meal” and recent single “Free Caskets”. Aim High’s set was sincere, goofy and high energy. What else could I ask for?
7. The Beths
Who doesn’t love some good indie rock in the rain? The Beths flew all the way from New Zealand to kick off their “BY REQUEST” US Tour at Riot Fest’s Roots Stage and brought all the jams with them. Songs like the bouncy “Expert in a Dying Field” kept things sunny on such a gloomy day, and splashing about in a muddy mosh pit to Elizabeth Stokes’s dulcet tones made me feel like I was in my early twenties again. It was surprisingly nostalgic, despite The Beths not being a band I have nostalgia for. I certainly will now.
6. Rise Against
God, how good of a year was it that Rise Against only made it to number six? It was a painful decision, but an honest one. Rise Against has been one of my favorite bands for over a decade and every time I get to see them is incredible. Whether they’re busting out classics like “Ready to Fall” or newer releases like “Nod”, they give it their all every single time. They’re practically Riot Fest mainstays at this point and I hope they continue to be.
Shout out to the lovely human who filmed a part of “Swing Life Away” on my phone so I could enjoy and cry to the song without distraction. You’re a real one.
5. The All-American Rejects
I wouldn’t say The All-American Rejects played with me. That being said, my paper heart did, in fact, bleed watching a band I’ve loved since childhood. Of course, frontman Tyson Ritter didn’t let us have immortal hits like “Move Along” and “It Ends Tonight” so easily. As Ritter put it while teasing the crowd with “Dirty Little Secret, “I just love edging 30,000 people at once.” Throughout their entire set, the vibe was delightfully raunchy and irreverent and the crowd couldn’t get enough.
4. Gogol Bordello
As soon as they step on stage, Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello’s energy is infectious. I make it a point to see this band whenever they play Riot Fest and they have yet to disappoint. If this list were ranked by spectacle alone, they would probably be number one. They maintained a restless chaos throughout their set as they played iconic songs like “Wonderlust King” and “Start Wearing Purple”, as well as newer tracks from their latest album We Mean It, Man! This still wasn’t my year to be in the splash zone of Eugene Hütz’s wine bottle, but there’s always next year.
3. 3OH!3
If there’s only one thing electronic duo 3OH!3 know how to do, it’s put on a damn good show. Whether they’re blasting the delightfully trashy “My First Kiss” or problematic banger “DONTTRUSTME”, members Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman know how to work a crowd. They’re just plain fun, like seeing old friends at a house party and feeling like no time has passed. At 3OH!3, it’s all about good vibes and ass-shaking; nothing more or less.
2. Twenty One Pilots
Fun fact: Twenty One Pilots was actually the first band I ever saw live in concert. All the way back in 2013, I watched them open for Fall Out Boy’s Save Rock and Roll Tour. While I’ve only been passively following their career since about 2016, I’ll never forget being floored by them. Thirteen years later, and their live shows have only gotten bigger and more bombastic as their stars have risen higher.
While I already knew members Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are insanely talented multi-instrumentalists, it was still wild to watch them switch between several instruments mid-song with the ease of changing their socks. I may not be entirely up on the Clancy lore, but I’ll make sure this isn’t the last time I see this band live.
1. Alanis Morissette
For pretty much my entire conscious life, I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to see Alanis Morissette live. After missing several of her tours, I finally got that opportunity at Riot Fest. When she stepped foot on the Roots Stage on Sunday, Morissette was practically glittering. She began her set with “Hand in My Pocket” and proved she was every bit as arresting in person as she is on her records.
Her energy was captivating whether she was performing the deliriously-infatuated “Head Over Feet” or the haunting “Uninvited”. Screaming the lyrics to “You Oughta Know” in a crowd of thousands wasn’t just cathartic; it was purifying. It’s difficult to even put into words precisely how it felt seeing Morissette live, so I’ll leave it at this for now: I’ve seen God, and She twirls.
EXTREMELY HONORABLE MENTIONS: Almost There But Not Really, The Chats, Melt-Banana, PUP, Cartel
