The Freshman Fifteen
Welcome to the first ever NAPNET Freshman Fifteen. If the Emo All Stars of 2025 list is the all-pro team, then is more like a top prospects lists than an all rookie team. Look, if hip hop and baseball get to do it then why can’t we?
Okay so let’s get into my rather loose qualifications- the bands on this list have all started in the past few years and have not yet released a sophomore album. An LP and a couple EPs? That’s fine. I dunno, at the end of the day you can’t really rank art the way you would athletes, so at the end of the day this is just my Stephen A Smithification of the scene.
Alright now let’s get into it:
Aren’t We Amphibians
The San Diego trio’s 2025 album Parade! Parade! Is the best debut album any emo band has put out in over a decade. Point blank. If we’re being honest, AWA belong on the All Star list as well but it didn’t seem fair to let them take up two spots. Currently on tour with Harrison Gordon, I’m excited to see what 2026 holds for the Amphibians. Joshua Talbot and the twins have serious potential to receive more critical acclaim than any band on either list.
Petti Hendrix
Okay let’s get this outta the way, Petti Hendrix is a ROCKSTAR. The Milwaukee native got his first break when Alternative Press shared his music and it made its way to Benji Madden. Next thing you know, Petti is on a plane to LA, signed by the Maddens, and getting features from Awsten Knight. With a cameo on the recent Good Charlotte album, Petti Hendrix is poised for a big ass 2026. If we lived in a fair and just world, he would be where MGK is.
tenmonthsummer
After releasing their debut EP fate lines in 2024, tenmo had a relatively quiet 2025 year. Make no mistake though, the Chicagoland band have been grinding away and developing a devoted following. While fate lines saw the band perfect the art of yearning, I am very curious about what their next release will sound like. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing some demos of the new material, but after they dropped the heavily political La Dispute inspired “everyday feels like 9/12” last week, I’m thinking this next era of tenmo could see Nish and the crew kick things into a gear none of us are expecting.
halftimeshow
halftimeshow is one of three bands on this list who are what I’d call Emo Inuit Brothers. That is, the band membership gets a little incestual. Fronted by Bryce Howell, halftimeshow is Midwest Emo to the core. Their debut EP JoMo is was produced by Derek from TRSH and shows an insane amount of promise. “Hero of Roku City” is one of the top 10 songs of the year if ya ask me.
Thoughts on Bowling
Also fronted by Bryce Howell and featuring multiple members from the next band on our list, ToB have gotten off to a hot start. With only a handful of songs released, they’re currently wrapping up a nationwide tour with TRSH. In my opinion the success of this band, as with the other two, will come down to splitting time. Or maybe we see a full on Shohei Ohtani here and these bands pull off a Bo Jackson?
Dear Cincinnati
First off lemme just say I love these boys and I love all three of these bands, so it might seemed biased to include all three but it’s not my fault all these kids wanna be Deion Sanders or Travis Hunter or whatever. The Cincy Sluts have proven to be the most prolific band of the bunch with 2025 seeing the release of two EPs produced by Billy Mannino and Derek Berry respectively, it makes you wonder who they could bring in for their next release to help them get to the next level. With songs like Piss Nuke Tutorial and last night we let the Josh talk, David and the fellers bring a perfect balance of heavy and humor.
Chris Casey
Mixing a blend of Tyler, The Creator and Weezer, the Savannah Georgia native has already received tons of praise early in his career. Prestigious tastemakers like Anthony Fantano and Emo Kids Anonymous have taken notice of Casey’s potential, it’s only a matter of time before everybody else does too.
Winona Fighter
After releasing their first full length in February, Coco and crew have been on fire. From festivals to tours to a deluxe edition of the album this past fall, Winona Fighter have forced people to take notice and they deserve every bit of the success. Also, bonus points for the I Think You Should Leave reference.
Townies
Originally formed as a band of summer camp counselors, the LA by way of Boston band started taking the whole band thing seriously a few years ago and since then they’ve been slowly gaining steam. They dropped their debut LP last year and followed it up this year with the Billy Mannino produced EP Speak With Your Chest.
Daisy Grenade
The duo of Dani and Keaton have made the transition from Broadway stages to beer soaked stages incredibly well. We’ve seen them release a slew of singles over the past two years, showcasing their versatility and ability to straddle the line between different genres. Will 2026 be the year they go full Paramore and crossover to the mainstream or do they still need time to refine their sound?
WEAREOKAY
Frontman Flaco might come from the world of reggae but his heart and soul are clearly rooted in pop punk, punk and skate culture. After moving to San Diego and starting WEAREOKAY, Flaco and co have been grinding behind the scenes releasing a handful of heaters before playing their first shows (including LA emo nite) this fall. Much like Petti Hendrix and Chris Casey, WEAREOKAY are what the future of the pop punk umbrella should sound like.
Tiger Would!
Even though Tiger Would! have only released about 15 minutes of music, it’s safe to say we’ve seen enough tape to know there’s something special here. Can they capitalize on this momentum and make their way to the Emo All Stars list in the next couple of years, or will they fizzle out like their namesake post divorce. It’s up to Tiger Would!.
No Problemo!
Since their inception, Michigan’s No Problemo! have been crushing the game while having (maybe too much) fun along the way. Last year saw the release of the Year of the Frog EP and I expect them to fully come into their own with their much anticipated follow up.
Pretty Suspect
The lone PNW representation on the list, the self described emo warpedcore band have been quietly building up their resume. They’ve played with bands like Hawthorne Heights and Emery and recently finished their first tour. They already released an LP in 2024 but since then we’ve seen a lineup change that will shift the bands dynamic as the keys have been swapped out in favor of their new guitarist Brandon. Don’t be surprised to see these fellas pop up on the Vans Warped Tour in the next couple years.
Skiimo
There’s a variety of random intangible (bullshit) metrics and factors that go into my reasoning for each band on this list, but one of the major driving forces for making this list is output and hustle. Skiimo has absolutely got it. After releasing two EPs in less than six months, the Denver trio dropped their first full length Nothing Ever Changes this past October. Featuring a guest appearance from Free Throw’s Cory Castro, the album is a true dark house contender for any self respecting AOTY list.
