For a generation of music fans, Warped Tour was a rite of passage.
It was where lifelong friendships were made, favorite bands were discovered, and countless sunburned summers were spent sprinting from stage to stage what you hoped was a clean bottle of water in the other. We’d all end up back in someones van with a face dripping in eyeliner (or guy-liner) running down your face from a potential heat stroke… but how lucky were we!
For many CCM Magazine readers, however, there was another festival that occupied an equally important place in our memories. Unlike a lot of the punk scene, Warped Tour accepted strongly Christian and Tooth & Nail style Christian adjacent artist at its cultural peak including MxPx, Underoath, Five Iron Frenzy, Relient K, Anberlin and many more. The inclusion actually began to the put the death nail in the dedicated festivals like Cornerstone. Purple Door. TomFest. Now all your favorite alt-Christian bands came to you AND you got to see NOFX, Rancid, Blink-182, and Sum-41.
Not too much longer though the pop punk domination of mainstream music disappointed and Warped Tour closed up show. Last year we saw a big return that was fueled with mostly new artists which was exciting and maybe a little disappointing that we weren’t getting a big family reunion for us fans whose pink hair has turned a little grey.
But this fall, Warped Tour’s return to Orlando may be the closest thing we’ve had in years to experiencing that same spirit again.
No, it isn’t a Christian festival but, much like the Christian alternative / punk scene, it never existed in isolation. Fans who discovered MxPx often found themselves listening to New Found Glory. Emery fans bought Silverstein records. Norma Jean fans stayed for Every Time I Die. The lines between Christian and mainstream alternative music were always blurrier than many people remember.
That crossover is still alive at Warped Tour.
Why Orlando Stands Out
While every stop on Warped Tour’s 2026 comeback features artists with ties to the Christian rock and hardcore scene, the Orlando stop (November 14–15) may be the strongest destination for CCM readers.
Artists with Christian roots include:
- Emery
- Family Force 5 REUNION SHOW
- Fit For A King
- Gideon
- Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
- MxPx
- Norma Jean
- Elijah
The lineup also includes numerous artists whose careers have long intersected with Christian audiences, including:
- Thrice
- Silverstein
- Hawthorne Heights
- Jimmy Eat World
- New Found Glory
- Motion City Soundtrack
- Taking Back Sunday
- The Used
- Simple Plan
- Sleeping With Sirens
- Alexisonfire
- From First to Last
Whether through shared tours, overlapping fanbases, or members who openly identify with the Christian faith, these bands helped shape the soundtrack of an entire generation.
Every Warped Stop Has Something for Christian Music Fans
Orlando may offer the deepest lineup for fans of Christian alternative music, but every city on the 2026 tour features artists with roots in or longstanding connections to the Christian rock scene.
Long Beach, California
July 25–26
Christian / Christian Roots
- Emery
- Norma Jean
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Underoath
- MxPx
Christian-Adjacent
- Thrice
- Silverstein
- Hawthorne Heights
- Jimmy Eat World
- Sleeping With Sirens
- From First to Last
Montreal, Quebec
August 21–22
Christian / Christian Roots
- MxPx
- The Devil Wears Prada
Christian-Adjacent
- Thrice
- Hawthorne Heights
- Jimmy Eat World
- Story of the Year
- Acceptance
- Yellowcard
Orlando, Florida
November 14–15
Christian / Christian Roots
- Emery
- Family Force 5
- Fit For A King
- Gideon
- Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
- MxPx
- Norma Jean
- Elijah
Christian-Adjacent
- Thrice
- Silverstein
- Hawthorne Heights
- Jimmy Eat World
- New Found Glory
- Motion City Soundtrack
- Taking Back Sunday
- The Used
- Simple Plan
- Sleeping With Sirens
- Alexisonfire
- From First to Last
Mexico City, Mexico
November 28–29
Christian / Christian Roots
- Anberlin
- Emery
- MxPx
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Underoath
Christian-Adjacent
- Thrice
- Saosin
- We Came As Romans
- Hawthorne Heights
- Jimmy Eat World
- New Found Glory
- Story of the Year
- Yellowcard
- Simple Plan
- Taking Back Sunday
More Than Nostalgia
This year’s Orlando festival will also mark my own return to Warped Tour after many years away.
Like many of you, I grew up going to Warped Tour. While CCM Magazine has always celebrated Christian music, I’ve never stopped loving the broader punk, emo, ska, and hardcore scene that existed right alongside it. Those bands, and those sweat drenched days, were a huge part of my musical upbringing.
That’s why I’m genuinely excited to cover this year’s event.
Not simply because of the Christian artists on the bill, but because Warped Tour represents something much bigger. It reminds us that music has always had a way of bringing different communities together. Long before playlists and algorithms, festivals introduced us to bands we’d never heard before and questionable decisions with friendships we’d never forget.
For many of us, Warped Tour and Cornerstone weren’t competing worlds. They were complementary chapters of the same story.
One weekend we were singing along with MxPx and Five Iron Frenzy. The next we were discovering New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, or Taking Back Sunday.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to dust off the Halfcabs, dig out an old Stavesacre tee, and relive a little of that magic, Warped Tour Orlando may be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
And if you can’t make Orlando, the good news is that every stop on Warped Tour’s 2026 return offers a reminder that the relationship between Christian alternative music and the broader punk scene has always been stronger than many people realize.
I hope to see you in Orlando this November.
