Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008

Written by Chris Payne

Narrated by Graham Halstead and 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063161580

Chris Payne

Chris Payne is a journalist whose writing has appeared in publications like Vulture, Stereogum, The Ringer, Alternative Press, and Billboard, where he spent seven years as a staff writer and podcast host covering alternative and independent music. Earlier, he served two years as music director of the College of New Jersey’s WTSR. He was born in New Brunswick, NJ, grew up in Colonia, NJ, and now resides in Brooklyn.

Reviews for Where Are Your Boys Tonight?

[maseycakes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good! Listened to the Audiobook, the way the author weaves narratives together through the interviews was interesting. Grew up on Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco, so those chapters were particularly exciting.

[Jeff Ronca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing!! MCR ,FOB , and EMO Fans Must Listen or Read