By the time the gates open, the air will already taste like nostalgia, the kind of heavy, humid air that sticks to your throat and hums before the amps even wake up. The parking lot will shimmer under the weight of a thousand Vans sneakers and cracked smiles, and somewhere between sunscreen and feedback, the girls will steal the show.

Warped Tour’s always been about discovery and rebellion, but this year, the lineup reads more like a love letter to the roots of the emo scene, featuring heavy-hitters like 3OH!3, A Day To Remember, and All Time Low. Amongst the defining acts of the genre, five woman glisten in the Florida heat, and if you blink, you might miss the revolt amongst the stacked roster. In the frenzy of it all, don’t forget to check out our favorite female powerhouses featured at this year’s Vans Warped Tour Orlando at Camping World Stadium Campus on November 15 and 16.

1. Chandler Leighton
   
   There’s a wildness to Chandler Leighton that doesn’t ask for permission. She steps on stage like a fever dream stitched together with silk and static, and suddenly the crowd quiets, not out of reverence, but instinct. Her voice is smoke and sunlight, shifting from whisper to wail in the same vibrato. She doesn’t just sing heartbreak; she dissects it, polishes it, and hands it back bleeding and beautiful. She’s proof that power doesn’t always shout; sometimes it trembles, and that trembling moves mountains.
   
2. Taylor Acorn
   
   Taylor Acorn doesn’t write songs so much as carve diary entries into electric guitars. Her set feels like flipping through an old notebook: pages wrinkled, ink smudged, truth intact. Her latest album, Poster Child, is destined to fill the field like a slow-burn ache, “Home Videos” makes strangers sway with a familiarity that hurts in the best way. She’s the kind of performer who can make 5,000 people feel like they’re standing in her living room, aching over the same cup of coffee. There’s nothing over calculated here, just honesty with a pulse.
   
3. Honey Revenge
   
   Fronted by Devin Papadol, Honey Revenge is the candy-colored chaos of your dreams. They crash pop hooks into emotional truth like it’s effortless. Devin bounces across the stage with wild-eyed precision, turning anxiety into art and heartbreak into choreography. “Airhead” lands luminously live: a riot disguised as bubblegum. The crowd doesn’t just dance; it levitates.
   
4. MILLIONAIRE$
   
   If nostalgia had a sound, it would be MILLIONAIRE$. The MySpace queens have risen again, and the resurgence feels poetic. Their set is a wink of the Warped Tour we remember and adore: bratty, fearless, and full of sequined rage. They don’t ask to be taken too seriously; they dare you not to be, to just live and enjoy the moment. When the beat drops, the crowd transforms, even thirty-somethings who grew up on scene hair and cheap eyeliner scream like it’s 2008 again. It’s more than a comeback; it’s a reclamation.
   
5. Not Enough Space
   
   A newer name, but one that feels like it’s been waiting for this moment. Not Enough Space sounds like bedroom angst and unspoken apologies: heavy with emotion, laced with distortion. Their set oscillates between post-hardcore madness and metalcore mayhem, anchored by dual female vocals that crack just enough to feel human. When the chorus of “Weaponize Your Rage” rises, the audience is destined to combust, slamming bodies and wailing voices. The crowd might be small, but it’ll be sacred: the kind of power only a band built off sisterhood can foster.

HONORABLE MENTION: Winona Fighter

They’re effervescence drenched in pop-punk exuberance, laughter through feedback. Winona Fighter doesn’t perform so much as detonate. Every punch, every smile, every ounce of musical synergy bred from garage studios feels intentional and alive. It’s punk rock at its most honest: imperfect, influential, and blisteringly real.

As the sky folds into dusk next weekend and the merch tents start to close, you’ll come to find this Warped Tour wasn’t simply a revival, rather a resurgence. At the heart of it all is a masterlist of women expanding the stage itself. They sing with the ache of purpose and the courage of those who refuse to be outshone by the male dominance of the scene. Orlando might forget the set times, but it’ll remember this: the day the girls didn’t just warm up the stages, they rewrote the noise.