Music
Plus One
The 11 best My Chemical Romance songs
With Wembley shows announced for 2026, the Long Live... The Black Parade tour is finally headed to the UK. Here's what we want to hear on it...
When My Chemical Romance emerged from the New Jersey post-9/11 underground in the early 2000s, there’s no way they could have known that they would come to define a generation.
No matter how mighty your ambitions may be when starting a band, it’s the type of phenomenon nobody can truly plan for. You can dream of playing the biggest stages in the world, of writing songs that bring some comfort to those struggling, but there are certain goals that far surpass what any human mind can conjure up.
Capturing the drama, devotion, and defiance of a generation, My Chemical Romance have collided the darkness of punk, the theatricality of rock legends Queen and David Bowie, and the vulnerability of emo into a movement that has touched the lives of millions across the globe.
From the gritty punk edges of 2002 debut I Brought You My Bullets… through the blood-soaked vampirism of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, to the grandiose conceptual arc of 2006’s groundbreaking The Black Parade and the neon rebellion of Danger Days, across four studio albums they have built a home for the misfits and outsiders. A place where death could be an adventure and every lost kid could feel like the hero of their own story; their songs have become a beacon of hope and catharsis for a community of fans.
Two decades since those fans were first introduced to the story of ‘The Patient’ via the sounds of a flat-lining heart rate monitor and a descent into hell, the Long Live… The Black Parade tour is set to storm London’s Wembley Stadium on the 10th and 11th of July 2026. Playing their landmark 2006 album in full, as Gerard Way and co. prepare to rise from the dead once more, here’s a reminder of 11 songs that have defined My Chemical Romance.
11. ‘The Kids From Yesterday’
(Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, 2010)
A bittersweet farewell to youth, ‘The Kids From Yesterday’ is MCR at their most anthemic. Trading in breakneck guitars for shimmering synths and a triumphant chorus, meditative synth-pop might not be the band’s signature, but it’s easy to see why Gerard Way has called this one of the most important songs they’ve ever written. Reflecting on growing up in a way that feels less about wallowing in nostalgia and yearning to relive your youth, but more about celebrating the fleeting magic of it all, there’s a certain peace to be found in its melancholy pop melodies. Waving goodbye to the past without regret, as the final single released before the band’s 2013 break-up, for a long time it served as their eulogy. Now though, it’s an opportunity for everyone in the room to toast the memories they’ve made together and the stories still to be told.
10. ‘House Of Wolves’
(The Black Parade, 2006)
The sinister swagger of ‘House Of Wolves’ encapsulates so much of MCR’s magic in just three minutes. Seething with energy, it thrusts the band’s punk spirit into a smoky late-night jazz club filled with sinners and lets them wreak total havoc. Built on a sultry, bluesy riff, Way feels perfectly at home in the role of a manic preacher, battling with the ideas of innocence and wickedness as the album’s title character gets his first glimpse of hell. An unrelenting burst of adrenaline that showcases the quartet’s talent for dark worldbuilding, it’s a firm fan favourite for great reason.
9. ‘Boy Division’
(Conventional Weapons, 2013)
Recorded during the sessions for Danger Days but released years later as part of the Conventional Weapons compilation, ‘Boy Division’ is a snarling, two-and-a-half-minute journey back into the band’s roots. Nodding to their early hardcore punk influences of Misfits, Descendents, and Black Flag, it’s unpolished and delightfully ugly. Its title a not-so-subtle reference to the reluctant kings of goth Joy Division, lyrically it takes a stab at the stigma surrounding the band as ‘emo’ icons, despite them never claiming such title. A reminder of the feral bite that dominated their early releases, it’s proof that no matter how big the venues get, My Chemical Romance is still just four punk kids from New Jersey.
8. ‘Bulletproof Heart’
(Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, 2010)
Whilst the neon-robed sci-fi of album four proved divisive upon its release, there’s something about this glittering ode to escape and survival that’s impossible to deny. Hopeful and rebellious, its pensive guitar intro explodes into a road-trip-ready chorus built to be screamed out of car windows. Leaning into the record’s comic-book-styled take on defiance, it may be rooted in fiction, but the determination to outrun whatever’s bringing you down is an undoubtedly real feeling. Rounding out with some euphoric Queen-esque classic rock harmonies, it’s an anthem made for those moments where you need a little bit of psyching up.
7. ‘Headfirst For Halos’
(I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, 2002)
Even in their earliest days, MCR had a knack for pairing the macabre with the upbeat and exuberant. Taking on subjects as heavy as suicidal thoughts and addiction and delivering them at breakneck pop-punk speed, ‘Headfirst For Halos’ sugarcoats the darkness without altering its overall taste. Its pop-flecked glam-rock melodies culminating in Way declaring “think happy thoughts” with an increasingly aggressive delivery, it’s messy yet totally heartfelt, proving that even before the concepts and theatrics these four musicians were brewing up something special.
6. ‘Disenchanted’
(The Black Parade, 2006)
It’s almost impossible to believe that ‘Disenchanted’ nearly didn’t make the final cut on The Black Parade. With bassist Mikey Way advocating for its inclusion during the latter stages of the album’s creation, the slow-building ballad has become a favourite of fans worldwide. The antithesis of ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’s rallying cry, ‘Disenchanted’ is a weary resignation. Reflecting on the journey and everything that’s been lost along the way, it strips back the bombast for something much bleaker, opening and closing with the same poignant acoustic melody. The mask of Way’s theatrical persona slipping slightly as he ponders on the futility of life, his delivery brings a devastating reminder of what it means to be human. A tragic ode to life, death, and everything that occurs along the way, there’ll be some tears shed during a rare live outing of this one next July.
5. ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’
(Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, 2004)
The song that smashed down the door for MCR’s mainstream breakthrough, ‘I’m Not Okay’ might be pure teenage melodrama, but it’s beautifully proud of it. Channelling self-aware wit and awkward heartbreak into an arena-sized singalong, its power chords and pent-up frustration hit home with a generation of teens struggling to come to terms with the world. Released alongside a music video parodying high school tropes, climaxing with the band’s nerdy characters taking revenge on their bullies, it also cemented their status as heroes of the outsiders. Part desperate cry for help and part gleeful celebration of the outcasts, there are few better examples of what My Chemical Romance is all about.
4. ‘The Foundations Of Decay’
(single, 2022)
After nearly a decade out of the spotlight, when MCR made their surprise return in 2022, they needed to do so properly. A sprawling six-minute prog-rock track with dark, distorted vocals and an epic, urgent chorus, they hit the nail on the head with this one. Proving that they hadn’t lost a shred of ambition during their time away, the intro’s simmering slow burn gives way to towering walls of distortion, underpinned by lyrics that dissect the band’s journey and legacy. Way shrouding his self-reflection and nihilism in Catholic imagery, it’s a stark staring down of mortality, taking stock of the years gone by, and choosing to continue in spite of the pain.
3. ‘Thank You For The Venom’
(Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, 2004)
Fast, furious, and dripping with blood, ‘Thank You For The Venom’ is a reminder that beneath all the melodrama and storytelling – My Chemical Romance are a damn rock ‘n’ roll band. Opening with crushing guitars and crazed snarls from Way before pummelling into a rallying cry of a chorus, it finds the band at their most spiteful, and their most brilliant. A sneering, aggressive anthem for both the band and its community of fans, it spat fire at those who misunderstood them, whilst promising that they wouldn’t back down. Overflowing with frustration and fatigue yet fuelled by a desire to fight, it’s a setlist staple that never fails to whip up a circle pit.
2. ‘Mama’
(The Black Parade, 2006)
Many would argue that MCR are at their best when at their most gloriously unhinged. Part goth cabaret and part horror show – with Broadway actress Liza Minnelli delivering guest vocals as a vengeful maternal voice – ‘Mama’ is perhaps the finest example of such madness. A fever dream soundtracked by folk strums, polka flourishes, snotty punk, and sea shanties, it’s ambitious to the point of insanity, packing a ridiculous number of influences into its four-and-a-half-minutes. Really, it’s a song that absolutely should not work, and in the hands of most musicians – probably wouldn’t. Under the care of MCR though, this rock opera blossomed into the ultimate marker of The Black Parade’s masterful weirdness.
1. ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’
(The Black Parade, 2006)
You often hear people talk about cultural resets. Those moments in pop culture that completely altered everything around them for a period of time, impacting everything from the way people spoke to the way they dressed. The crown jewel of My Chemical Romance’s discography, ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ signalled a cultural reset that felt akin to a revolution for those in the alternative scene. Opening with those instantly recognisable piano notes before its marching band rhythm explodes into a full-blown rock opera, it’s a generational anthem wrapped in defiance. Darting across genre boundaries to tell its tale of resilience, Way’s cries of “We’ll carry on” speak to the tenacity of the human spirit, creating something utterly life-affirming when screamed back by tens of thousands of voices in unison. The purest distillation of the band’s message of unity, if you’re lucky enough to be at Wembley next summer, this will be a moment to cherish.
