Last July, emo pop titans My Chemical Romance shook the Philippine music scene when they announced their Southeast Asian tour with a Manila stop on April 25, 2026. Millennials who once lived through their emo phases in the 2000s remembered how the band “saved” their lives. Some recalled applying eyeliner in mall food courts, while a younger generation of Gen Alpha kids have only recently discovered the band, now wondering if scene kids still exist today.
The excitement didn’t fade. When local promoter Pulp announced seating details at the Philippine Arena ahead of the ticket release on September 6, the online discourse spiked. Longtime fans resurfaced to call out posers, and some millennials openly gatekept the band, wary of their music being reduced to a trend. But amid the noise and generational divides, a resilient faction stood firm: MCRmy Philippines, a fan club that predates most stan communities by decades.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Mary Grace Atienza helped establish MCRmy Philippines in the mid-2000s. With no exact founding date, the group grew organically. Friendships sparked on Friendster, text clans, and early forums laid the groundwork. Their first eyeball, organized in 2008 for My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way’s birthday, was modest. “It all started online in 2006 when I befriended Filipino MCR fans on Friendster,” Atienza tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “After 2 years, we held our first eyeball on April 9, 2008, for Gerard Way’s birthday. As teens with limited means, my handmade bookmarks were our only giveaway to the attendees.”
In 2011, MCRmy Philippines created its Facebook page and group to bring more fans together. From handmade bookmarks, the group upgraded to custom button pins for their next meet-up of 16 people. In 2012, their gathering grew to 30 fans at SM City North EDSA. Fans traded stories, joined trivia contests, and won raffle prizes. Mall guards eventually dispersed them, which pushed Atienza to move events to private venues. “Using funds saved from our college allowances,” she says. “We held our first official meet-up on July 23, 2011, at Quezon Memorial Circle, in time for International MCR Day.”
Long Live The Black Parade
The fanbase didn’t shrink after My Chemical Romance’s disbandment in 2013. If anything, it grew stronger. They hosted an event called “The Black Parade Tribute Day” in 2016 to mark the album’s 10th anniversary. Held at Black Kings Bar, the event featured live MCR covers from local bands and drew over 100 attendees — a mix of loyalists and newcomers, including 10-year-olds accompanied by parents. “MCR disbanded on March 22, 2013, but instead of letting go, we held on even tighter for the sake of their legacy,” she says. “Our meet-ups continued, joined by regulars and new attendees alike.”
Atienza’s dedication and the MCRmy’s consistency have spanned nearly two decades. The group has weathered genre shifts, digital platform changes, and the decline of the “scene” era, but their identity has remained intact. They’ve created something beyond a fan club. It’s a community built on shared healing, coming-of-age stories, and a commitment to hold space for one another.
MCRmy Philippines isn’t just active — it’s defiant, territorial when necessary, but rooted in love. “The whole concert itself was a crazy experience for me as I lived the biggest dream my teenage self could muster,” Atienza recalls of MCR’s first Manila show in 2008 at the Bonifacio Global City concert grounds. “But I will never forget how I started the night sitting in the middle of the Silver section, but ended at the front barricade when the crowd went wild while the My Chemical Romance backdrop was being lowered.”
That memory has stayed with her, but what excites her more is witnessing a new generation get their chance to live that same experience. MCR’s return to the Philippines in 2026 will be staged in the Philippine Arena, the largest indoor venue in Southeast Asia. For Atienza and other long-time fans, the setting is a full circle moment, a testament to how far the fanbase has come.
The fandom, much like Way’s expansive worldbuilding in his comic book writing, thrives on mythology, consistency, and collective loyalty. MCRmy Philippines has lived through breakups, reunions, and even industry shifts that have buried entire subgenres. It remains one of the longest-running, community-based music fandoms in the country. This isn’t nostalgia tourism; this is proof of staying power — a connection that didn’t fade with Tumblr or Hot Topic Philippines.
“We were once young fans too, and if the older generation had gatekept MCR from us back then, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today,” she says. “We take pride in creating events where everyone leaves with a new friend or two, so we will always warmly welcome new and young fans.”
