Wendy's Goes Full 2000s Emo With Metalcore Album Called 'Songs To Listen to in the Parking Lot'

Wendy's has officially entered its emo era with a fully produced six-track album of 2000s-inspired emo, pop-punk and metalcore, featuring vocalists from Memphis May Fire, Silverstein, blessthefall, State Champs and other alternative acts.

Titled Songs to Listen to in a Wendy's Parking Lot, the release turns fries, Frostys and even the chain's old restaurant sunrooms into material for melodramatic heartbreak, while giving the familiar red-haired Wendy mascot a black-eyeliner makeover. The project arrived on 23 September and is available across major streaming platforms.

Wendy's Gets Its Emo Makeover

The fast-food chain began teasing its musical album on social media, replacing Wendy's traditionally cheerful appearance with a distinctly early-2000s emo look.

The mascot appeared with asymmetrical, side-swept red hair covering one eye, black eyeliner and black bows, evoking the scene that dominated alternative music and youth culture during the 2000s.

The makeover was followed by the release of the six-song project, turning the restaurant chain into an unlikely participant in the emo revival. When one Instagram user commented that Wendy was 'going through a phase', the company responded with the emo-style declaration: 'IT'S NOT A PHASE.'

This Is Not Just a Joke Playlist

Despite the deliberately ridiculous premise, Wendy's has taken the project considerably further than simply creating a novelty playlist.

The company worked with producer and songwriter Matt Squire, whose credits include major pop-punk and alternative acts including Panic! at the Disco, All Time Low, Simple Plan and Sum 41. Wendy's also stressed that the project was made with real musicians rather than generated using AI.

The release was created in partnership with Rise Records and features performers from across the emo, pop-punk, post-hardcore and metalcore scenes.

The lineup includes Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire and Anberlin, Chloe Kinnon of Winona Fighter, Shane Told of Silverstein, Beau Bokan of blessthefall, Derek DiScanio of State Champs and Kat Leon of Holy Wars. That gives the project a direct connection to the music culture it is referencing.

The Tracklist Is Peak 2000s Emo

The six songs take ordinary Wendy's experiences and transform them into exaggerated tales of heartbreak, nostalgia and despair. The collection opens with 'She Said She Didn't Want Fries', featuring Mullins, followed by Kinnon on 'Salt in the Wound'.

Shane Told takes on 'I Miss the Sunroom', a nostalgic reference to the distinctive sunrooms that appeared at some older Wendy's restaurants.

The fourth track, featuring Bokan, is titled 'The Best Combo Meal on the Worst Night of My Life', while DiScanio performs 'It's Not a Phase, It's a 10pc'. The project concludes with one of its most dramatic titles, 'My Frosty's Funeral', featuring Leon.

Together, the titles combine the melodrama of classic emo with Wendy's menu, turning fries, combo meals and frozen desserts into symbols of romantic devastation.

From Fries To Full-Blown Heartbreak

Wendy's says the idea came from the way customers have used its parking lots as a backdrop for emotional moments, often sitting inside their cars after a late-night visit. The company also pointed to the renewed popularity of emo and pop-punk as a reason for choosing the genre.

Matt Squire described emo as music that can make seemingly small moments feel enormous, making a lonely Wendy's parking lot a suitable setting for the concept.

That idea runs through the lyrics, which transform familiar brand slogans and menu items into over-the-top confessions. References include 'Square Burgers Saved My Soul', 'Great Together, Like Frosty & Fries' and 'My Frosty's Funeral', alongside darker lines about empty Frosty cups and nights that have gone badly.

The Internet Is Playing Along

The collaboration has already attracted attention from fans of both Wendy's and the alternative music scene, with several musicians and music outlets engaging with the release. Metalcore band Motionless in White reacted to the project on Instagram, while music publication The Noise joked about needing a mosh pit in a Wendy's parking lot.

The response highlights the unusual nature of the collaboration: a global fast-food brand has created a project featuring musicians with connections to the scene it is parodying.

For anyone who remembers the era of side-swept fringes, black eyeliner and dramatic songs about heartbreak, Wendy's has released a soundtrack for a trip down memory lane, and if the night ends with a lonely Frosty in a restaurant car park, there is now an emo song for that too.