The 'When We Were Young Festival' meme emerged in early 2022 when a poster featuring an impossibly stacked lineup of emo and pop-punk legends was released. Skeptical fans initially questioned if it was a scam or an 'Emo Fyre Fest' due to the massive list of bands scheduled for a single day. The meme quickly evolved into a celebration of millennial nostalgia, often featuring jokes about 'elder emos' needing ibuprofen to survive the mosh pits and the realization that their teenage 'phase' never actually ended. It is widely used to highlight the enduring power of early 2000s alternative culture and the humorous reality of aging fans returning to their subculture roots.