Riot Fest 2025: Chicago’s Punk Rock Mecca Turns 20 With Blink-182, Green Day, Jack White & A Punk Army of Legends

Riot Fest has never been subtle—and thank god for that. The festival that turned Chicago’s Douglass Park into the ultimate playground for punks, misfits, and rock lifers is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, and the lineup reads like a rock ’n’ roll fever dream.

Kicking off on Friday, September 19, pop-punk gods Blink-182 headline a night that throws “Weird Al” Yankovic, Alkaline Trio, Rilo Kiley, The Pogues, and The Hold Steady into the pit alongside heavy hitters like Knocked Loose and cult heroes Sparks.

Saturday, September 20, pulls no punches—Weezer, Jack White, and The Beach Boys lead a bill that swings from the anthemic (Dropkick Murphys, All Time Low, The Front Bottoms) to the beautifully unhinged (GWAR, Marky Ramone Plays the Ramones, Helmet, Buzzcocks).

And then comes the Sunday blowout: Green Day takes the crown with IDLES, Jawbreaker, Bad Religion, The Academy Is…, and a resurrected slice of Myspace-era chaos with Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes. Throw in Hanson (yes, that Hanson), The Linda Lindas, Smoking Popes, and The Ataris, and you’ve got a finale that’s as gloriously weird as it is legendary.

From punk lifers to emo revivalists, from ska icons to alt-pop disrupters, Riot Fest 2025 isn’t just a lineup—it’s a history lesson, a party, and a love letter to 20 years of chaos in Douglass Park. Chicago, brace yourself.

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