The Simpsons stands the test of time as a staple of popular culture and over the past 36 years, some of rock’s greatest icons have stopped by to do a guest spot. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Metallica, Tom Petty, three-fourths of The Beatles–the list keeps going. It only makes sense that, at some point, Riot Fest and The Simpsons had to cross paths.
It’d be a much, much longer blog to go into every Riot Fest band who’s played Riot Fest before, but some highlights in the past include Cypress Hill, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yo La Tengo, The B-52’s, Elvis Costello, and Fall Out Boy, along with members of Sonic Youth, Tenacious D, and Sleater-Kinney. Yell in the comments if I missed any.
Riot Fest lineups usually find themselves with a sliver of Venn diagram crossover, but 2025 inadvertently turned out to have an incredible group of artists featured on the show (including all three headliners!), and we’re here with the definitive guide to where to find them for your next Simpsons binge. Without further ado, fire up whatever streaming account and let’s dive in!
Wanna see these bands off screen and on stage?
Marky Ramone (1993)
Rosebud — Season 5, Episode 4
Our first stop in the Simpsons pantheon is none other than The Ramones, who get invited to Mr. Burns’ birthday party in typical Ramones fashion. Only a few full band cameos preceded The Ramones’ appearance (Aerosmith, Spinal Tap, and Red Hot Chili Peppers come to mind), but it doesn’t stop the band from delivering a performance so good that it makes Mr. Burns want The Rolling Stones killed in retaliation.
Blink-182 (2003)
Barting Over — Season 14, Episode 11
Blink-182 took a break from selling out arenas in 2003, to playing a private gig for Tony Hawk’s skatepark loft in this Season 14 gem, which happened to coincide as the show’s 300th episode. Well, that’s what FOX executives thought it was when promoting the show.
Fun fact: The 300th episode had already aired two weeks prior. However, despite the miscalculation, Mark Hoppus described being on The Simpsons as “one of those ‘wow, this is unreal’ moments that I’ve been lucky enough to experience.”
“Weird Al” Yankovic (2003/2023)
Thee Gays of the Condo — Season 14, Episode 17
Hostile Kirk Place — Season 34, Episode 16
If there was an artist worthy of two separate appearances on The Simpsons, it should definitely be one of the current elder statesmen of comedy.
Yes, Weird Al had two spots on The Simpsons. The first was on the Season 14 staple ‘Three Gays of the Condo,’ when Marge hires Yankovic to write a song that will convince Homer to come home, set to the tune of a John Mellancamp song–wasn’t that nice of him? The second was in a Season 34 couch gag, where Al greets the Simpsons Family with an accordion in hand.
The Beach Boys (2003)
Today, I Am a Clown — Season 15, Episode 6
Okay, so I’m cheating on this one a little bit.
Sure, The Beach Boys didn’t cameo on this Season 15 favorite where they serve as entertainment for Krusty the Clown’s bar mitzvah, but I wasn’t about to exclude one of history’s greatest pop bands on a technicality. Also, I checked and saw that recent live collaborator/Uncle Jesse himself John Stamos has never guest starred on the show either, to which I ask, what the hell? I hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
Jack White (2006)
Jazzy & The Pussycats — Season 18, Episode 2
Back when The White Stripes was one of alternative rock’s hottest commodities, Jack and Meg White stopped by The Simpsons just long enough to intersect with Bart’s storyline where he takes up the drums.
Riot Fest 2025 headliner Jack White’s appearance pays homage to the band’s Michel Gondry-directed music video for “The Hardest Button to Button,” which features a Riot Fest 2024 headliner Beck. Small world!
Green Day (2007)
The Simpsons Movie
For the longest time I was curious why Green Day hadn’t appeared as a guest on The Simpsons.
However, that all changed in 2007 when I realized the show was simply saving them for the movie. The town riots against the band when their lakeside concert is cut short after the band requests to talk about the environment. Though the band promptly sinks in the lake, we can at the very least guarantee that won’t happen at Riot Fest… hopefully.
Sex Pistols (2008)
Love, Springfieldian Style — Season 19, Episode 12
Okay, fine, I’m cheating again on this one.
No, the Sex Pistols never lent their voices to The Simpsons. Though the band has never guest starred on the show, their former bassist Sid Vicious was immortalized in a 2008 episode of the show parodying Sid & Nancy, the 1986 biopic of his life. It’s part of a trio of retold love stories in this Season 19 episode that’s worth a look.
Weezer (2020)
The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds — Season 31, Episode 21
Last, but certainly not least, our final headliner: Weezer.
During the credits of this 2020 episode, the band provides their own rendition of The Simpsons theme song over the credits. The arrangement, much like Green Day’s cover for The Simpsons Movie, gives the melody a rock-tinged grit. However, the arrangement’s more focused on individual notes, with Cuomo hitting the individual flourishes of the Danny Elfman score. It’s a moment worth sticking around to the very end just to hear.
The Related Rabbit Hole
