COACHELLA ANNOUNCES SHOCKING 2026 LINEUP WITH PERFORMANCES BY HOT MULLIGAN AND JUSTIN BIEBER
Initially budding from a Pearl Jam concert at the Empire Polo Club, Coachella stands tall as a cultural cornerstone. Sitting at the intersection of music, fashion, and food, Coachella draws thousands to its dusty desert campsites annually. Each year, the lineup grows more complex and buzzworthy, with the festival taking significant creative risks to accommodate increasingly expanding audiences. In 2026, the festival announced an uncharacteristically rock-heavy lineup, despite having cookie-cutter popstar headliners — a contrast worth watching.
The festival spans across two weekends, allowing enough people to catch the action. Each weekend offers the same performances, with new twists for a different crowd (or the same one, if you’re into that). Previously, the festival had been known for including one or two curveball-heavy bands. In 2025, Knocked Loose was the breakout; memes abounded, and the rock community all supported the heavyweight champs as they began to break into the mainstream.
However, the 2026 lineup is even more daring, with rock music as the festival’s centerpiece, rather than simply acting as an accent. Hot Mulligan, Nine Inch Noize, The Strokes, Turnstile, Drain, Foster the People, Lambrini Girls, Black Flag, and Devo will all be sharing the stage with some of the world’s biggest pop stars. Each rock band headed to Coachella also represents a different facet of the broader genre — from indie to hardcore — reminding us all of how much rock has shifted over time.
Drain has had a particularly fantastic year — and they’re arguably the heaviest band playing Coachella 2026. The Santa Cruz hardcore-punk band has a record coming out in November via Epitaph, and just played Warped Tour’s anniversary run. They represent a significant shift in the hardcore scene, both sonically and culturally. This mainstream success will undoubtedly put an important spotlight on the group.
Headliners include Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G. GSM caught Sabrina Carpenter’s first headlining performance ever at Outside Lands in 2024. Since then, she has grown exponentially into a bonafide pop star. Her earnest persona and sense of humor set her apart, making her worth waiting long hours in the desert heat. Paired with the contrast of Turnstile appearing on the same bill, Coachella seems to be prioritizing music discovery in its newest installment.
Plus, we can’t get over Justin Bieber making a rare appearance at the festival. For millennials, this is huge; many of us remember when Bieber toured with Cobra Starship, giving him unexpected street cred for those less in the know. Previous decades showcased a quieter solidarity between rock and pop music — though it’s always persisted. Coachella’s 2026 lineup is simply the loudest and proudest about it.
There are plenty of artists performing at Coachella in 2026. If you’ve ever been hesitant about attending, this might just be the right year for you. The diverse lineup offers something for everybody!
Tickets are available here.