Coachella goes back to its roots — and regains its cool

There’s something different about Coachella 2025.

The music festival that draws thousands of fans to the desert of Indio, Calif., for two weekends every April has faced criticism in years past for becoming a hotbed for influencers, content creation and extravagant displays of wealth.

All of that is still there — influencers were skewered for their brand-sponsored outfits and $10,000-per-night tents — but something else seized headlines and generated tons of viral social media posts: Huge musical acts giving can’t-miss performances.

Lady Gaga put on a dazzling display in her return to over-the-top pop bangers, further signaling the dominance of recession pop. Charli XCX brought out a number of surprise guests and internet darlings, reviving the club kid ecstasy of Brat summer.

Post Malone’s country tilt stirred conversation, and physically demanding sets from impressive performers like Benson Boone, Lisa and Megan Thee Stallion invigorated even audiences watching from home. Missy Elliot and Green Day sparked nostalgia with energetic sets. Even T-Pain, once shunned for ruining pop music with autotune, received a warm reception from the crowd.

Contrasting 2024’s concerningly low ticket sales numbers, more than 60% of the estimated 80,000-plus attendees at Coachella used payment plans to fund their tickets, according to Billboard. That’s both a testament to the soaring cost of musical events and the passion of fans willing to invest in the experience of seeing their favorite artists live. It helps that, according to the Guardian, this year’s artists were just more popular than last year’s, with 24% higher global Spotify streams than the previous set.

In Coachella’s post-COVID years, the festival offered an opportunity for people to gather — and to post on social media to signal that they’re doing something significant. Beauty creator Naomi Mahdesian said in a 2022 TikTok post that Coachella felt like an “influencer work event.” In 2025, it’s a fandom pilgrimage worth weathering hours of traffic and sweltering heat.

Other festivals could be taking note. Pop girls like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams are headlining more flagship events this year, taking over a traditionally male-dominated space to unite their fans and put a focus on the musical element of festivals once again.

It’s possible that no musician will ever deliver a performance as iconic and transformative as Beyoncé’s “Beychella” in 2018, but it’s been long enough that her influence could be considered more inspiring than intimidating.

Though celebrities are always present in the crowd at Coachella, it seemed that influencers had less of an impact on the overall vibe. Many of the top-performing TikTok posts about the festival showcased performances and surprise guests rather than outfits of the day. There were still plenty of viral videos about influencer style and reemerging 2000s fashion trends, but whereas brands used to offer creators an opportunity to experience Coachella in an air-conditioned, minimally dusty environment away from common folk, they attempted to be more subtle and helpful to all this year.

“I think brands are catching on to how they contribute to the overall experience of general consumers and influencers,” Erin Schickner, director of music and brand partnerships at marketing company BENlabs told Yahoo Entertainment. “Instead of forcing themselves into the experience, they’re elevating the experience for the consumer.”

She attended Coachella Weekend 1 and said she noticed coffee trucks from creamer company International Delight offering fuel to festivalgoers, Neutrogena offering sunscreen in record heat and Loops earplugs offering a break from the noise.

“Brands are really understanding with their activations that fans are looking for a cooldown moment — they’re blasting AC and fans, offering shade and … a [place] where you can charge your phone,” Schickner said.

Some people aren’t convinced that there’s been a positive vibe shift at Coachella, though. Comedian Reggie Watts wrote in an Instagram post that its “soul feels increasingly absent.” Commenters agreed.

“There’s no real sense of love coming from the festival toward the people. No care. No reverence. Just vibes curated for influencer culture. You’ll catch glimpses of something real — an artist pouring their heart out on stage, a sudden moment of connection — but those moments are fleeting,” Watts said. “They’re easily lost in the chaos, buried beneath the logistics, the brand activations, the overpriced everything.”

Some social media users critiqued the crowd at Coachella for being low-energy, often failing to dance along or show enthusiasm for non-headlining performers. Los Angeles magazine praised the livestream as the best (and cheapest) way to take in performances, anyway. Even if music and fandom are at the heart of the festival, the desire to be present and posting along is necessary for ticket sales.

Wealth is trending, and algorithmically based social media sites reward the aspirational, showcasing influencer posts to people who don’t even follow them. So long as there’s money to be made from Coachella, brands and influencers will always be there. Regardless of who attends, it’s still technically a music festival, so fans and artists still have a chance to make their mark during Weekend 2 and beyond.