If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. There’s no bigger leap from “casual song enjoyer” to “this artist is literally part of my life” than scoring your first piece of their merch. Rocking a performer’s tee or hoodie not only shows the world who you are, but what you care about.
Sure, some band’s logos and iconography have become so entrenched in modern streetwear style that you can wear them with zero allegiance to the music and no one would bat an eye except for corny, “oh really? Name five of their songs”-type folks (with Nirvana merch seeming to take the brunt of the potshots). But donning an artist’s merch out in the wild also makes for an easy way to identify and connect with fellow fans, turning would-be strangers into a collective force of nature (see: the Swiftie friendship bracelet trading phenomenon , or literally everything about BTS Armys). On the performer’s side, it’s no longer good enough to just slap your band’s logo on a tee — now we’re seeing quirkier options ranging from Reneé Rapp’s “ Young Ex Wife ” tank tops, to skeleton-print sweatpants from Phoebe Bridgers, and The 1975 using a hugging Wojack meme on their tee.
But with ticket prices on the rise (including hidden fees, fighting with bots, waiting on a virtual queue for hours), attending some of the biggest tours in the country and actually acquiring that merch i.