Emo Nite (Ages 18+) in Indianapolis

Emo Nite began in 2014 as a small party at a Los Angeles dive bar, started by Morgan Freed and T.J. Petracca (later joined by Babs Szabo) after club owners repeatedly turned down their pitch for a night built around 2000s emo and pop-punk. After early shows at Echo Park's Short Stop, the concept moved to the Echoplex and snowballed into a national phenomenon now running in more than 30 cities, drawing guest appearances over the years from artists like Post Malone, Good Charlotte, All Time Low and Demi Lovato. The format is a DJ-driven celebration of the emo and pop-punk canon rather than a live band performance, built for singing along to a generation's worth of angsty anthems in a crowded room. The Indianapolis stop on August 9, 2026 is an 18-and-over standing-room show at Old National Centre's Deluxe room, doors and set both starting at 9 p.m., continuing a night that has grown from one bar's rejected pitch into one of the more durable nostalgia-driven touring brands in music.