For years, brands leaned on legacy alt-rock bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day to reach Middle America rock fans. These acts still deliver reach — but their audiences are now largely older Millennials and Gen X. While nostalgic, they don’t deliver the Gen Z demo driving today’s culture and purchasing trends.
Enter Twenty One Pilots.
Their new album Breach debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the biggest rock week in six years. With “The Contract,” they tied Foo Fighters for the most No. 1 songs in Alternative Airplay history. In other words, they’re the most relevant alt-rock band today and the modern gateway to Middle-American youth.
In the past 90 days, Twenty One Pilots have added more than 8.2 million monthly Spotify listeners, bringing their total to 33.9 million-plus, while their 14 million total YouTube subscribers includes more than 100,000 new subscriptions in a third of that timeframe. And in the first 30 days since the release of Breach (released September 12 via Fueled by Ramen), their YouTube views increased by more than 400,000 extra watch hours.
Their fans are passionate about a diverse range of interests, from Marvel movies to Pokémon games, and well over half of that number comprises Gen Z and younger millennials. Twenty One Pilots are some of the biggest rock stars of today — and tomorrow.
Take a deeper look at the market and music culture impact of Twenty One Pilots below.
