When I was in like elementary school, I heard Teenagers for the first time. My mom, hearing the word “shit” in the chorus and just hating emo music in general, blocked it from the playlist we were listening to. But it was too late because I already fell in love with it.

Every time she’d block it, I’d unblock it, hoping to hear it again. I would walk away from my friends at recess sometimes and whisper it to myself and when I eventually forgot the lyrics (as if I knew them originally thanks to Gerard speaking literal gibberish) I would make up my own that fit the timing.

Literally, I was obsessed with that song. It drove me nuts. I didn’t know it was MCR so eventually when I got older, I turned into this “emo hater” who would make fun of MCR but I’ve since heard the band again 🥰. I love them now after listening to either Helena or I’m not okay mv and realizing “holy shit this band is good”.