Where Are Your Boys Tonight?

The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008

By: Chris Payne

Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Chris Abell

An explosive oral history of emo’s takeover from 1999 to 2008, featuring

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, FALL OUT BOY, PARAMORE, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, JIMMY EAT WORLD, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, AND MANY MORE

If Meet Me in the Bathroom traced New York City's early 2000’s rock scene, Where Are Your Boys Tonight? gives the inside story of the turn-of-the-millennium emo subculture that became bigger than anyone thought possible. There was Pete Wentz, the Fall Out Boy leader who launched a litany of scene-stealing bands and preposterous side-hustles, and Gerard Way, the wizard behind My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade. Panic! At the Disco and Paramore emerged soon after—a pair of intrepid outsiders who got massive playing by their own rules. As they ascended, MySpace took over the internet and the age of influencers dawned, with emo its choice aesthetic.

Music journalist Chris Payne experienced emo's mainstream takeover from sweaty crowds and mosh pits growing up in New Jersey. In Where Are Your Boys Tonight? he offers an authoritative, impassioned, and occasionally absurd account told through interviews with more than 150 people, from the scene's biggest bands, producers, and managers to the teenage fans who helped redefine American music culture.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

A walk down memory lane

What a great look into my teenage years 😅. I went to a lot of the shows they talk about, it was basically 3 days of reminiscing.

Tip: if you didn’t live the xXxRAWRxXx life, definitely download the cast of characters.

Vindicated

It was amazing hearing the history of my absolute favorite bands growing up, as a west coast kid, not knowing the beginnings of MCR, Paramore or Bayside, I heard them on MySpace like most other kids in 2003-2005, but hearing the heart behind some of the best records I’ve ever heard, gives these bands such a more human element and makes me appreciate them so much more than I did when I first heard them. Plus going back and listening to the records was a nostalgia fest. 10/10 for sure.

The Rise, Fall, and Reconsideration

Overall a fun love letter to a complicated music scene. This book manages to address the more controversial elements with delicacy without being conflict-averse.

I WANT MORE!

Overall I really loved it and the cast of characters. I just wish it was longer!

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

I’ll be honest, I started the audiobook to hear from FOB because I still follow and love them to this day, but stayed for everyone else. This book provided me more insight into the genre and scene that captivated me back in the 2000s. I loved hearing first hand accounts from everyone who was a part of it not just the bands but the journalist, producers etc. it’s well put together in terms of the focus of each chapter and part of the book, and the author did a great job of putting together a cohesive narrative out of the interviews he accumulated. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of the genre or just music history in general.