This weekend, the second “When We Were Young” music festival opens in Las Vegas. The three-day event, colloquially known as “Emo Fest,” attracts more than 50 bands to the city, including early-2000s favorites like MGreen Day, The Offspring, Blink-192, Rise Against, Bowling For Soup, and New Found Glory. The show begins on October 21 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. It extends into October 22. With emo fans taking the city by storm, they’ll need to eat.
Below is Eater Vegas’ guide for festival attendees, both near and far.
Morning Before Festival Opens
Before belting along to “All the Small Things,” festivalgoers will need to fuel themselves with coffee. And there’s only one way for emo fans to take their coffee: black. (Okay, maybe with the addition of oat milk.) If staying downtown, stop into Vesta Coffee Roasters (1114 South Casino Center Boulevard) for a fresh cup. If on the Strip, Urth Caffe (3131 Las Vegas Boulevard) at Wynn Las Vegas has an expansive menu of coffee drinks. Alternatively, Avril Lavigne fans should stop into Fashion Show Mall to visit the Hello Kitty Cafe (3784 South Las Vegas Boulevard) for coffee with a side of a Kerropi doughnut — before her pre-party at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday.
Where to Eat Before and After the Festival
Many of the performers, including All Time Low, The Academy Is, and Yellowcard have been signed to the Fueled by Ramen record label. Follow their lead and indulge in exceptional ramen around the Las Vegas Valley. Head to Chinatown to visit Monta Japanese Noodle House (5030 Spring Mountain Road) for its tonkotsu ramen. Or visit Jinya Ramen Bar (4860 West Flamingo Road) and order the spicy umami miso ramen. Izakaya Go (3775 Spring Mountain Road) serves ramen until 2 in the morning.
Anyone who grew up an emo kid still loves Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Try grown-up versions at Bin 702 (707 E Fremont Street), at Downtown Container Park, where they make a grilled cheese using the hot chips. Zero Degrees (2235 Village Walk Drive) makes a cheesy fries appetizer piled high with Hot Cheetos.
It’s still hot enough in Vegas for ice cream, so why not make it black? Secret Creamery (3449 South Sammy Davis Junior Drive) makes a nutty, toasted black sesame flavor. Somi Somi (4284 Spring Mountain Road) has a black sesame soft serve in a taiyaki fish-shaped waffle.
If you’re seeking food in a punk rock setting after the festival, you can’t beat Evel Pie (508 East Fremont Street) for pizza by the slice. Consider Count Vamp’d Rock Bar and Grill (6750 W Sahara Avenue) for bar eats.
Late Night Drinks
After the show, you’ll need a bar with lighting as dark as your eyeliner. Hit up a local dive, like Frankie’s Tiki Bar (1712 West Charleston Boulevard) for fruity tiki drinks in a dark and smoke-filled room. Or seek out the preeminent dive bar — and home of Ass Juice — the Double Down Saloon (4640 Paradise Road). If you’re visiting the Punk Rock Museum, which offers extended hours during festival weekend, pop into the Triple Down. Also consider a trip to Atomic Liquors (917 East Fremont Street,), one of the oldest bars in town. The reddish lighting will bring out all the highlights in your side-swept bangs while you sip on whiskey sours. On the Strip, visit the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ speakeasy Ghost Donkey (3708 Las Vegas Boulevard) for mezcal drinks in a fairy light-filled bar. There’s also the Halloween pop-up bar, Nightmare on Spring Mountain (3355 Spring Mountain Road), for those who trend a little more toward horror.
How to Dine Like an Emo Song
Let the songs of the festival’s headliners guide your dining choices.
All Time Low sings about popping Champagne in “Poppin’ Champagne.” Do the same at a fine dining restaurant like Barry’s Downtown Prime (8 East Fremont Street) at Circa, which oozes vintage glam. Request a table in the Garden Room. There’s also Lamaii (4480 Spring Mountain Road), a Thai restaurant with killer noodles in Chinatown with golden chandeliers. And don’t forget Eiffel Tower Restaurant (3655 South Las Vegas Boulevard), which gazes out over the Strip.
Avril Lavigne has a song called “Crush.” And MGM Grand has a restaurant called Crush (3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard). From Jenna and Michael Morton of the Morton restaurant family, Crush serves classics like filet mignon and wood-fired pizza.
Get ready for Bowling for Soup’s set with a bowl of the city’s finest. Pho Kim Long (4023 W Spring Mountain Road) in Chinatown caters to the late-night crowd with flavorful bowls of pho flying out of the kitchen until 2:30 a.m. or later. Or stop into Beijing Noodle No. 9 at Caesars Palace for soup and watch chefs hand-pull noodles in front of you. Alternatively, go bowling at the Brooklyn Bowl bar, bowling alley, and concert venue.
The Gym Class Heroes famously can’t keep their hands out of the cookie jar. So why should you? Black Tap (3355 Las Vegas Boulevard) at the Venetian Resort pours milkshakes with whole cookies on top. The Bagel Nook (11010 Lavender Hill Drive, Suite 140) makes a Cookie Monster bagel. And Bouchon Bakery (3355 Las Vegas Blvd South) has an ever-changing selection of tarts, cookies, and other treats.
Emo Brunch
For a brunch that’s fully devoted to all things emo, The Front Yard at Ellis Island (4178 Koval Lane) is hosting Emo Brunch on Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The emo brunch will include bottomless black mimosas and brunch items like UnderOats bananas foster overnight oats, a Dip Cab for Cutie French dip, and the Toast of You avocado toast. The soundtrack will feature emo and pop-punk music — plus emo karaoke.