It’s official, Vans Warped Tour is back.
Returning for three two-day festivals in 2025 to mark its 30th anniversary, the chaos has already unfolded in Washington, D.C. and California, and now it’s time for The Sunshine State to play host to one of the alternative scene’s most iconic events.
Taking place this weekend (November 15 & 16) at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium Campus, the lineup is jam-packed with some of the biggest names in the scene right now.
There’s a hell of a lot happening, so if you’re still unsure on who you should be prioritising when finalising your festival plans, here are ten of Rock Sound’s must-see artists.
Arrows In Action
There’s a certain feeling that can only ever be attained when standing in a sun-soaked field surrounded by like-minded people, listening to your favourite bands. There are also certain bands who thrive when tasked with amplifying those untouchable vibes, and Arrows In Action are undoubtedly one of them.
Delivering a sharp dopamine hit with their nostalgia-drenched third album ‘I Think I’ve Been Here Before’ earlier this year, the larger-than-life hooks of ‘Light Like You’ and ‘Hello Sunshine!’ are tailor-made for occasions like this. Bright, carefree, and bursting with massive pop-rock choruses, make sure this lot are on your to-do list.
Speaking to Rock Sound as part of our Album Story series, vocalist Victor Viramontes-Pattison told us:
“Something we talk about a lot is making something that is not necessarily nostalgic but more timeless. Where it could be written at any time, and if it came out in 20 years, it would still sound as fresh. Something that feels really good no matter what. We just want to write a song where, if we just played it on the guitar, it would still feel just as amazing. To then be able to build those songs out, flesh out the emotions and end up with what we have is so satisfying.”
Read our full Album Story feature on ‘I Think I’ve Been Here Before’ here.
Boys Like Girls
When it comes to making the most out of every minute of a festival set, Boys Like Girls are the undisputed champions. During their When We Were Young performance last month, we witnessed them rattle through hit after hit whilst radiating a delightfully infectious energy, basking in the deafening singalongs sparked by scene classics ‘Thunder’ and ‘The Great Escape’.
Whilst the recent announce of their ‘Soundtrack Of Your Life’ tour proved that they’re unafraid to lean into the nostalgia, you can bet that tracks from 2023’s comeback album ‘SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS’ will also pack a serious punch. A euphoric pop-rock record steeped in neon-lit ‘80s influence, just try and stand still whilst ‘BLOOD AND SUGAR’ is blaring out of those monitors… we dare you.
Caskets
Metalcore is in a wonderful place right now, and Caskets are leading the charge for a fresh wave of the scene over on UK shores. With their latest album ‘The Only Heaven You’ll Know’ arriving just last week, the four-piece have kickstarted a new chapter centered on fearless honesty, backed by some of the most crushing riffs in the game.
Masters of channelling grief and fury into anthems made to be yelled back at them by hundreds of voices in unison, if it’s a shot of pure catharsis you’re after this weekend – look no further.
Speaking to Rock Sound as part of our Album Story series recently, frontman Matt Flood told us:
“I want people to feel my pain, and I think the only way to do that is to be completely raw, completely honest, and very matter of fact. I wanted to go even deeper and talk about all the things that I was still too scared to talk about when we did ‘Lost Souls’. It’s pretty self-critical, but I’m human. We’ve all done bad things, and we’ve all hurt people. It felt important to open up about that.”
Read our full Album Story feature on ‘The Only Heaven You’ll Know’ here.
Charlotte Sands
If you managed to make it out to a date on the Summer School Tour this summer, there will be a few names on the Warped lineup you’re familiar with. Joining her tour mates Taylor Acorn, Arrows In Action, Beauty School Dropout and Huddy in Orlando, Charlotte Sands is a powerhouse artist dead-set on pushing the boundaries of alt-pop.
Following the release of her debut album ‘can we start over?’ in 2024, a new era is fully underway for the turquoise-haired Nashville artist. With a handful of singles dropped throughout 2025 – including hyper-pop infused anthem ‘neckdeep’ and the euphoric ‘Afterlife’ – the buzz around her vibrant sonic storytelling has now become impossible to ignore. Writing candid songs for the hopeless romantics and the daydreamers, get ready for some wholesome vibes as Charlotte takes to the stage.
The Home Team
Let’s face it, no matter what kind of music you’re into, you go to a festival to have fun. For the duration of your time in that space, you’re there to dance, to sing, to mosh, and to share that joy with friends old and new. Since day one, The Home Team’s mission statement has been to nurture an environment where all of those things can happen at once.
Taking their signature ‘heavy pop’ style to higher heights than ever before following the release of 2024 album ‘The Crucible Of Life’, after over a decade of perseverance this Seattle-based four-piece have found their home. Their blend of pop-punk, metal, and R&B resonating with fans across the globe, their live show is best described as sheer euphoria. Electrifying, energetic, and constantly evolving, you do not want to miss this.
Honey Revenge
Since the release of their debut album ‘Retrovision’ back in 2023, Honey Revenge have been killing it.
A duo who collide emo’s penchant for self-deprecation with a playfully self-aware wit and glossy pop production, their sugar-coated sad tunes are precisely what Warped Tour is all about.
After rolling the dice with fearless single ‘Risk’ earlier this year, freshly dropped venomous cut ‘Poison Apple Baby’ cemented their return, overflowing with all the infectious energy we’ve come to expect from the pair.
Squaring up to some of life’s biggest challenges with some of the mightiest hooks you’ll find on this year’s lineup, they also embody everything that makes the alternative scene so wonderful. Centred on community, inclusion, and making this space a better place for everybody within it, if you’re not already in on the buzz – it’s time to get stuck in.
Magnolia Park
There are some bands whose arrival on the scene feels truly special, and everyone who has watched Mag Park rise to the top will wholeheartedly agree that they are one of those bands. Returning to their home state after a year that saw them push their sonic limits with the release of neo-gothic concept album ‘VAMP’, the Floridians have been the subject of much hype recently – and rightly so.
Evolving their sound into something darker and moodier on album four, the sci-fi-tinged vampiric universe of ‘VAMP’ dealt out theatrical menace in spades. Heavier, grittier, and bolder than their previous records, it’s got all the massive moments to make their live shows shine. And if they decide to throw their cover of The Goofy Movie classic ‘I2I’ into the mix, too? It doesn’t get better than that.
Last year, the band’s Tristan Torres told us about the impact that Disney cover has had on their shows:
“We usually have a lot of kids show up to our show, dragging their parents along. We’re such a diverse, genre-bending band so it’s cool that we have fans that like the pop stuff and fans that like the heavy stuff. But with the Disney cover, it is a huge crossover for us. It’s a nostalgic song but at the same time, some people are just discovering the song based off the cover.”
The Maine
It’s been 17 years since The Maine played their first Warped Tour. Back then, they were out on the road celebrating the release of debut album ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’, and whilst plenty of things have changed, a hell of a lot has stayed the same.
Eight records later, our favourite Arizonan rock band are still committed to writing music that makes us feel our feelings. From the stripped-down melodies of ‘Pioneer’ and the polished pop that dominates ‘American Candy’ to the confidence that surges through the orchestral flourishes on ‘You Are OK’ and the gorgeous ‘80s influences speckled through 2023’s self-titled effort, each era of The Maine has fixated on human emotion in all its unpredictable states.
With a live show that captures their evolution in all its glory, never shying away from slotting early hits in amongst their newer material (is it really a The Maine show without that ‘Girls Do What They Want’ moment?), they’re sure to deliver a set that’ll leave everyone grinning from ear-to-ear.
Motionless In White
The Warped Tour veterans of this list, Motionless In White first played the festival two decades ago after winning a fan-voted contest to open the Ernie Ball stage. Making their way up the lineup throughout their career, the Pennsylvania metalcore heavyweights are undoubtedly one of the biggest names plastered on the 2025 poster, and they have more than earned that honour.
With a live show that feels akin to an off-kilter Halloween party, these gothic kings sure know how to have a great time when they step onto any stage. Since their 2010 full-length ‘Creatures’ and its 2012 follow-up ‘Infamous’ established them as genre staples, they’ve been intent on changing the game, with every release raising the stakes to a whole new level.
Setting that bar higher than ever with 2022’s ‘Scoring The End Of The World’, you can expect a setlist that showcases every bit of their darkest magic this weekend. Just try not to break any bones when that ‘Slaughterhouse’ breakdown kicks in.
Winona Fighter
They might be one of the newer names on the lineup, but this Nashville trio certainly make enough noise with their raucous punk-rock party to rival anyone here. Tapping into the spirit of the early 2000s with their penchant for old-school power-pop bangers that get straight to the point, Winona Fighter’s much-anticipated debut album ‘My Apologies To The Chef’ arrived earlier this year, and boy, was it worth the wait.
With honesty as their North Star, their songs tackle everything from mental health and messy break-ups to domestic violence and politics, transforming the darkest of topics into cathartic melodies fit for frenzied shout-alongs.
One piece of advice, make sure you get to their stage before the massive chorus of ‘I’M IN THE MARKET TO PLEASE NO ONE’ bursts into life. Believe us, you won’t regret it.
We spoke to vocalist Coco Kinnon earlier this year about the release of ‘My Apologies To The Chef’. On the themes of the record, she told us:
“This collection of work is a collection of different stories. It’s not one concept. If there is a concept, that concept is the human experience, whether that’s surface level of, ‘I hate myself today’ or something serious like politics or substance abuse. These are real-life things that we feel and have been through, and that’s going to attract new listeners. I will be listening to something but not really listening, and a lyric will hit, and I’ll go, ‘Oh shit, is this about me?’ This is an album full of, ‘Is this about me?’”
