SXSW (South by Southwest) has played an active role in music discovery for 40 years. Many of these artists have went on to become household names, like Kendrick Lamar, The White Stripes and Billie Eilish, just to name a few. SXSW just released the list of the first 100 artists who will be performing at the 2026 SXSW Music Festival. This year’s music festival will be held from March 12-18, with The All-American Rejects kicking off the festival with a performance at the Music Festival Opening Party.

The All-American Rejects are a rock/alternative band from Stillwater, Oklahoma. The band was formed in 1999 and gained a massive following in the 2000s. In 2009, their song “Gives You Hell” became a Billboard No. 1 song. They will be releasing their 5th album soon, which will include songs “Eggshell Tapdancer” and “Easy Come, Easy Go“.

According to an official statement, other major artists listed include: lo-fi art-pop musician Milo Korbenski, electropop musician  DJ_Dave, post-punk project La Texana, alt-folk songwriter Hudson Freeman, composer and electronic musician Bayonne, Indonesian indie trio Grrrl Gang, Irish post-punks Chalk, punk-pop buzz band The Sophs, rapper and songwriter KOAD, singer-songwriter runo plum and last but not least, rapper and Tully founder Joyner Lucas. Montclair will also be performing. They are an Americana/indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Their album Heart is Alive! released this year.

Of course, this doesn’t even cover half of the 100 artists that are confirmed to be performing. The SXSW website provides further details on all of the performers. Overall, there will be a large variety of artists, both up-and-coming and well-established, as well as from a variety of different genres.

Badges for the event can also be purchased on the SXSW website. There are different options available that provide access for different or all of the events, saving buyers at least $200 compared to if they paid the walk-up rate.

Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz