Lollapalooza 2025 certainly looked very different from the festival’s inaugural year in 1991.
During its long existence, the fest has evolved from a purely rock affair to a melting pot of genres, including pop, EDM, rap, country, and just about every other style of music you can think of.
Still, rock is at Lollapalooza’s roots – it was started by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, after all – and we were able to find plenty of cool highlights to appeal to the alternative side of the aisle.
Here are our five favorite moments from Lollapalooza 2025:
Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out Weezer
Arguably the biggest story of the weekend came via Day 2 headliner, Olivia Rodrigo. The pop star was a force of nature during her set, but the highlight was when she welcomed some veteran rockers to join her.
“You always remember your first concert. It’s a very, very special moment,” Rodrigo declared. “I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the moon, because that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs. Will you please say hello to Weezer?!”
Rivers Cuomo and company then joined Rodrigo for a pair of tunes from the Blue Album: “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So.” Judging by the enthusiastic reaction from the crowd, Zoomers, Millennials and Gen X-ers all love Weezer whole-heartedly.
Korn Ignites a Mosh-a-palooza
Day 2 saw another legendary act return to the Lollapalooza stage: Korn. The Jonathan Davis-led group hadn’t performed at the festival in 28 years, but they quickly made up for lost time. The nu metal icons delivered some much needed heaviness to 2025’s Lollapalooza, tearing through classics like “Blind,” “Got the Life,” “Coming Undone,” “Twisted Transistor” and “Freak on a Leash.” Unsurprisingly, Korn’s set delivered the biggest mosh pits of the weekend.
Cage the Elephant Honors Ozzy
Cage the Elephant were one of the biggest acts on Thursday night’s lineup, and their emphatic set was certainly something to behold. At one point, frontman Matt Shultz took the opportunity to honor late rock icon, Ozzy Osbourne.
“This past week, we lost, to say a legend would not do it justice, but a beautiful human being,” the singer announced. “When I think about this song, I think about all the little babies in the world. I just became a father myself, and Ozzy was a beautiful baby that grew to become a beautiful human being. So, this goes out to all the beautiful babies in the world who will grow up to become beautiful human beings to do beautiful things.” Cage the Elephant then launched into a powerful rendition of “Changes,” the classic track from Back Sabbath’s 1972 album Vol. 4.
DJO, Back in Chicago
To say Joe Keery is living his best life would be an understatement. The actor — known for his role as Steve in Stranger Things – has also enjoyed huge success as DJO, his solo music project that melds psychedelic, pop and alt rock.
DJO’s breakout hit was “End of Beginning,” a track that became a viral sensation in 2022. The song chronicles Keery’s decision to leave Chicago for Los Angeles to pursue his career, and there was something magical about him uttering the famous chorus “And when I’m back in Chicago I feel it, another version of me, I was in it” while back in the Windy City.
“To be playing on this stage with you people means the world to me — that’s something I never thought I’d be able to do,” Keery admitted during his set, seemingly taking in the incredible journey he’s been on.
Rufus Du Sol Hit Latest Triumphant Milestone
Speaking of journeys, Australian alt-electronic trio Rufus Du Sol have been enjoying quite the ride. In roughly 10 years, they’ve gone from largely unknown in America to selling out massive venues around the country. Scoring a headlining set at Lollapaloooza marked the band’s latest achievement, and Rufus Du Sol proved more than worthy of the honor.
“Lollapalooza, this is surreal…” singer Tyrone Lindqvist remarked on stage Saturday night during the group’s massive headlining performance. “We played this festival maybe ten years ago and 300 or 400 people were there,” he explained before introducing “Fire/Desire.” “This is so special to us.”
