The House of Blues in Anaheim was packed wall to wall on May 6 as fans gathered to celebrate 20 years of Mayday Parade. Dubbed the Three Cheers for Twenty Years tour, the show served as both a retrospective and a love letter to the fans who’ve screamed these lyrics into their bedroom mirrors for two decades. With a lineup that included Like Roses, Grayscale, and Microwave, the night quickly transformed from a concert into a communal catharsis—crowd surfers rolling across raised hands, lyrics shouted back with unbridled emotion, and memories being made in real time.

Like Roses opened the night, a relatively new addition to the scene, this indie rock trio has been slowly gaining traction with their emotionally honest songwriting and DIY ethos. Their set offered a delicate contrast to what would follow—setting the emotional tone early while allowing the crowd to ease in, sway along, and start singing.

Grayscale took the stage next, bringing a polished energy that ignited the audience. Hailing from Philadelphia, the band has steadily risen through the pop-punk ranks since their 2011 formation. Songs from Adornment and Nella Vita made up much of the set, their slick production and heartfelt lyrics proving to be the perfect bridge between the tenderness of the openers and the rawness to come. The crowd responded with increasing enthusiasm, chanting and bouncing in time to each chorus.

Microwave, the Atlanta-based genre-benders, brought a gritty intensity that split the night wide open. Kicking off with “Mirrors” and “Lighterless,” the band tore through a set of emotionally lacerating tracks, including fan favorites like “Drown,” “Something Right,” and “Circling the Drain.” Lucas Woodland introduced their frenetic, unreleased track “Roaches” (referred to on the setlist as “But Not Often”) with an offhand quip, but the performance was anything but casual. The band’s ability to swing between calm introspection and explosive release kept the crowd in a constant state of tension and release—sweaty, breathless, and locked in.

When Mayday Parade finally took the stage, the room exploded. The band launched into “By the Way” and “Just Say You’re Not Into It” with the kind of practiced urgency that only comes with two decades on the road. And with the mention of their 2005 formation, the show quickly turned into a celebration of legacy—proof that emo isn’t dead, it’s just grown up alongside its listeners.

Nostalgia took center stage as the band moved into “Three Cheers for Five Years,” prompting a full-throated singalong that carried straight through “Jersey” and “I’d Hate to Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About.” The band knew exactly when to pull on heartstrings, slowing things down for the aching beauty of “Miserable at Best,” “Terrible Things,” and “Ghosts,” and lifting the mood again with “Anywhere but Here” and “Stay.”

But the set wasn’t just about looking back. With their recent album Sweet, the first installment in a new three-part project, Mayday Parade is clearly still evolving. Tracks like “Piece of Your Heart,” “Never Sure,” and the brooding “One for the Rocks and One for the Scary” kept the energy fresh, while “More Like a Crash” and “Pretty Good To Feel Something” underscored their commitment to creating new anthems for the next generation of fans.

The show neared its fever pitch with “Who's Laughing Now” and the chaotic joy of “One Man Drinking Games,” and finally hit emotional maximum with the closer, “Jamie All Over.” The crowd—now a sea of sweat, mascara tears, and hoarse voices—belted every lyric like it was a personal prayer.

The Three Cheers for Twenty Years tour is more than an anniversary lap. It’s a testament to the enduring emotional power of Mayday Parade’s music, and a celebration of the community they’ve built along the way. In Anaheim, it was clear: the band may be aging gracefully, but the emo spirit they helped define is still very much alive.