Let’s get one thing straight — or better yet, not straight: Rebecca Black is no longer the punchline of a viral YouTube moment. She’s a pop disruptor, a queer icon-in-the-making, and after her electric Outside Lands 2025 performance, it’s time we all gave her the flowers she absolutely deserves.
Taking the Sutro Stage in a ruffled green-and-black dress with enough attitude to shut down the internet (again), Black opened her set with “American Doll,” a pulsing track from her sophomore album Salvation. Surrounding her were tongue-in-cheek protest signs that echoed religious rhetoric — only now, repurposed for queer salvation: “Seek Rebecca Black” and “Return to Salvation,” they read. Camp? Yes. Clever? Absolutely. Necessary? Undoubtedly.
Flanked by backup dancers in furry camo boots and tank tops, Black delivered a high-octane set that was manic, sexy, and unapologetically queer. Tracks like “Twist the Knife,” “Crumbs,” and “Sick to My Stomach” didn’t just slap, they hit you hard. Her sound of sticky-sweet hyperpop with just enough darkness underneath to remind you: this woman has been through it.
And let’s not forget: she has. The internet tried to break Rebecca Black when she was just 13. But instead of fading into obscurity, she came out (as queer in 2020, and as an artist in full control not long after). If you’ve missed the evolution from “Friday” to Let Her Burn and now Salvation, you’ve been missing one of pop’s most fascinating, defiant glow-ups.
During her set, she led the crowd in a chant — “Do you even think about me?” — that hit like both a breakup cry and a reclamation. It was messy, dramatic, heartfelt — in other words, deeply relatable to every gay in the audience.
Then came one of the most endearing moments of the weekend: calling her fans a “sea of gay,” Black confessed that growing up in Irvine, she never felt cool. But standing on that stage, adored by a fiercely queer crowd, she said it had all been “worth it for this feeling.”
Outside Lands is known for its big-name headliners, but let’s be real: Rebecca Black stole the show with honesty, flair, and high-fructose empowerment. If you’re still sleeping on her, wake up — the church of Rebecca Black is open, and every last one of us is welcome.
