LOS ANGELES, CA- To kick off arguably the dreariest month of the year, I was thrilled to attend my first Emo Nite event on February 3rd. Emo Nite (not to be confused with Emo Night or other similarly named events), going on its 9th year in business, is a touring event that my older friends had been raving about for years, but I’d been missing out on the fun because I hadn’t met the 21+ requirement yet. With the emo genre slowly creeping its way back into mainstream culture, several copycat events are being promoted, which has caused such a great deal of confusion that the official Emo Nite Instagram account (@emonite) promotes a memorable rule of thumb in their bio: “if u don’t see the grave, it ain’t our rave”. Yes, this refers to a comically large gravestone mascot that waltzes around the venue the entire night; it’s impossible to miss. Spotting the oversized, legged gravestone every few hours between the multiple stages was like an amusing totem of good luck.
Stepping into the Avalon in Hollywood for the first time felt like entering a classy ballroom, with an important twist – the theme of the night was “construction”. Dozens of die-hard Emo Nite attendees were sporting head-to-toe neon orange and yellow outfits, accessorizing with measuring tape, and the Avalon was decorated with traffic cones and caution tape dangling from the rafters. Alternatively, much of the remaining crowd was appropriately dressed in black skinny jeans and vans, sporting a wide variety of band t-shirts. I couldn’t help but smile as I surveyed the dance floor because I felt like a teenager attending Warped Tour again, the ultimate emo gathering that fatefully ended in 2019.
A DJ spinning Fall Out Boy under the purple glow of Emo Nite neon signs immediately welcomed guests on the first floor. Also on the first floor, the much larger main stage area was occupied by another DJ who was, curiously, bumping SZA and Miley Cyrus. Dozens of black, luxurious leather sofas lined the walls, contributing to the overall intimate yet grand feel of the venue. Upstairs, the Bardot stage was set up for a few live performances from Headlands, Tiny Stills, and Christian Gates.
Only a few steps away, there was another, more secluded DJ area with stunning Renaissance-like décor and paintings, complete with white pillars and even a fountain. This stage was my personal favorite, not only because I’m a sucker for fountains, but the DJ was also playing several of my dearest childhood jams, specifically Ke$ha and 3oh!3 tracks. After finding another semi-hidden flight of stairs, I stumbled upon the upper balcony area that overlooked the main stage. This was objectively the best view in the house, and luckily, not many others had discovered it yet. I can’t imagine a more ideal end to the night than lounging on those leather sofas and watching the strobe lights dance over the crowd, all while listening to Pierce the Veil and Bring Me the Horizon—two of my all-time favorite emo acts.
Another highlight of the evening was when Ryan Cabrera stepped onto the stage to perform a stripped down version of his seminal hit “OnThe Way Down”! It doesn’t get more “emo” than that!
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No matter what stage you were checking out, there was always a bar only a few steps away, in case you got thirsty from dancing your little sad heart out. I’m excited to see what future unique themes, artists, and DJs that Emo Nite brings to their events.
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