The 2026 Riot Fest lineup is another music-lover’s grab bag of punk, pop, hip-hop and new wave, topped by headliners Tool, Twenty One Pilots, Pierce the Veil and Alanis Morissette. Those acts and many more will set up in Chicago’s Douglass Park from Sept. 18-20 for the annual throwdown that will also feature sets from Rise Against, Social Distortion, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion, Nas and the All-American Rejects.
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Among the classic new wave/punk acts on tap this year are: Morrissey, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Pixies, Patti Smith and her Band, Sugar, the Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd., Tricky and more. They’ll be joined by The Format, Taking Back Sunday, the Descendants, Pennywise, Bright Eyes, Mom Jeans, Santigold, Gogol Bordello, Pup, Motion City Soundtrack, the Beths, Bayside, Thrice, 3OH!3, Cartel, Less Than Jake, Bowling For Soup, Gwar, The Suicide Machines and more.
Among the acts making their Riot Fest debuts this year are Tool, Twenty One Pilots and Morissette, with Smith, Pop, the Pixies and Costello punching their return tickets to the fest, as well as costumed horror rockers Gwar, who’ve made the event an annual stop. The lineup also features the super buzzy mysterious polka dot-wearing math rock duo Angine de Poitrine and the first live Chicago performance by Violet Grohl, daughter of Foo Fighters singer/guitarist Dave Grohl, who dropped her debut studio album, Be Sweet to Me, on Friday (May 29).
In addition to the Bob Mould-led Sugar hitting the stage following a nearly 30-year hiatus, Riot Fest will dangerously bring together punk icons the Sex Pistols — featuring Frank Carter (Gallows) on vocals — and former Pistols lead singer John Lydon’s PiL; Lydon has not performed with the Pistols since 2008 and he’s been loudly critical of the band’s decision to carry on with Carter, dismissing their live shows as “karaoke.”
Check out the full 2026 Riot Fest lineup below.
