On March 22, 2013, emo hearts broke everywhere when the band My Chemical Romance released an official statement on their website announcing their break-up. The band had been together for 12 years, and in that time released five studio albums, two live DVDs, and one greatest hits album, which dropped shortly after the split. In the years following the break-up, fans looked for any sign of a reunion; some sign of life from the band. Between hackings of the official Twitter, and the band’s tour page being left with an unsettling “Check back soon for more details on the upcoming tour," fans have been let down time after time. Members have gone on to do solo projects, and the official pages for MCR have been left to gather dust. That is, until July 20, 2016…

On Wednesday, July 20, every active social media account for the band, including their website and emailing list, came back to life with the posting of an ominous video. The video simply depicts a white flag, with a black cross on it, waving in a cloud of smoke. In the background plays the piano intro to “Welcome to the Black Parade," one of the most recognizable songs by the band. The video ends by fading to white and showing the date “9/23/16.” This instantly caused an uproar among fans. Many very committed, long-time fans even broke down in tears of excitement over the video (myself included). While the video offered no actual announcement, just a date, rumors started to swirl about what was to happen in September. Many people suggested the band’s return, or a possible reunion tour. Many fans agreed, though, it most likely was related to MCR’s third and highest selling album, The Black Parade. The new logo, featuring the same cross from the video, is surrounded by “M C R X,” standing for the band’s initials and the roman numeral for ten. September 23 happens to mark the 10^th anniversary of The Black Parade, making the last fan theory the most plausible.

Social media instantly blew up with fans commenting on their rekindled obsession for the band. Twitter was filled with people talking about wearing too much eyeliner, too tight skinny jeans, and too dark wardrobes. Basically, we time travelled back to 2006, the peak of everybody’s emo and scene phases. As embarrassing as it is to look back on middle school/early high school years, people were suddenly unashamed of bringing back their old styles in light of the new video. People joked about returning to their old ways of black hair dye and bad fringe.

As the madness ensued, others felt the need to crush hopes and dreams for the excited followers. Killjoys (not a reference to the Danger Days album, by the way) took to the internet to tell fans that a reunion was impossible, and they were excited for nothing. No one had a clue what the September date was to bring, and instead of letting others enjoy their moment of bliss and nostalgia, some decided to try to bring it down. This didn’t stop people from celebrating, though. The band was important to many and had a large impact on a lot of young lives. Suddenly, getting some kind of message from a band three years dead was a big deal.

The emo party continued onto the following day, but came to a stop when MCR’s official social media released this statement:

“We've been really touched and blown away by the response to the teaser trailer. We are not touring and there is no reunion planned -- only a release for the anniversary of The Black Parade. Thanks so much for continuing to keep MCR in your minds and in your hearts.”

It broke hearts to know there would be no reunion, but many continue to stay positive. There hasn’t been much activity from MCR since the split in 2013, so followers of the band try to remain bright about the new things to be released later this year. With new merchandise coming in just a few months, everyone can add a little something to their holiday wish lists. If anybody’s still upset, they can always remember that the band must’ve been in talking to help put this release together. Until there’s a reunion, though, we’ll keep wearing our eyeliner proudly. Keep running, Killjoys.