DISCLAIMER: This article will have my inner corny, emo/pop-punk kid shine through. Be prepared.

Last Wednesday, Feb. 10, marked a day of realization for me: the scene has died.

Well, sort of. It is not technically dead- it never really will die. But for me, the scene has at the very least transformed to some degree.

Let me explain:

Last week, within mere hours of each other, two pop-punk bands announced that they were on hiatus/breaking up. The first was We Are The In Crowd, who for the longest time was one of my favorite bands. The status of the band is slightly unclear and the reason as to why the change happened is ambiguous. The first notion of the band going on hiatus was in a tell-all article published in Kerrang Magazine. Tay Jardine, the lead singer of WATIC, said, among other things, that the band was to go on hiatus in order for members Cameron Hurley, Mike Ferri, and Jardine herself to form a different project. The specifics about the rest of the band members and where they stand are all still a little unclear, which tears at my heartstrings just that much more.

The second band to make a similar announcement was New Jersey band Major League, who definitively broke up after posting about their final tour this Spring. Major League is acting in a light-hearted manner about everything, trying not to be somber when discussing the fact that they are disbanding. The band had a successful few years after a lead vocal change in 2014, which left a lot of fans surprised with this news.

These two different band announcements led me to then reflect on my music taste and the state of the scene (I’m cringing each time I use the term “scene”). I was devastated after hearing about We Are The In Crowd, since they had such an impact on my life all throughout high school. In general, it causes distress to know that something that was such a large part of your life is no longer there for you anymore, and We Are The In Crowd is no exception for me.

But, my concern stems farther than just the fact that I loved We Are The In Crowd. I’m worried about the entire umbrella-genre of punk/alternative/rock/hardcore. Major League disbanding represents a small loss in the world of local music. The band, although never truly hitting it big in its genre, was its own type of hero in New Jersey. Yet again, another part of my high-school self feels like it is disintegrating due to this loss within the scene.

These two bands breaking up made me feel more emotion than I ever would have expected. For some reason, I could not shake what I was feeling over the course of a few days, and I had to figure out why. So, I did a little bit of inner-emo soul searching, and figured out what was really bothering me: it is not just band breakups- it is the fact that this genre is not what is used to be. It is changing.

Then, many scattered thoughts ran through my head. There has been no news on the Skate and Surf front since the summer, leaving many to wonder if the punk festival will be taking place this year. The only reason there is a need for Skate and Surf is because Bamboozle is no more -- and Bamboozle was the festival to originally grow out of what was once Skate and Surf, creating a vicious cycle of sorts. Warped Tour has yet to announce any artists that will be playing on the summer tour, which is not in line with their normal schedule. By now, there should at least be some type of weekly announcement system set in place.

These small changes seem like nothing, but when looked at altogether it paints a different picture. The scene we all loved growing up is changing and evolving; certain things do not hold precedence anymore in punk music. Bands are breaking up and festivals are disappearing/being replaced even further, among other things. Things as I once knew it in this certain realm are changing, and it is worth noting.

However, just because I am upset over certain changes in this genre does not mean that all of these changes are necessarily terrible. There are some great things happening for the scene today. For instance, last week the hosts of the Alternative Press Music Awards were named; the hosts will be Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low for another year. Just the fact alone that there is an award show dedicated to this series of genres proves amazing things for the scene.

On the note of All Time Low, they just recently played The O2, which is a huge venue in London. They took out Good Charlotte, who just recently reunited, and Against the Current, a band on the rise. Good Charlotte and ATC are proof of positive things happening in the scene as well- bands that once were no more can have a comeback after time, and new bands can escalate in popularity and redefine what it means to be a part of the scene.

The bottom line is, just as many negative things can be countered with positive things in this genre and the culture it has created. So, although it is upsetting to hear about We Are The In Crowd going on hiatus, it is just a part of the ebb and flow of pop-punk music. Before I know it, another new band will take the world by storm, reinstating some type of balance.

So, maybe the scene is not dead.

Maybe it is just being reborn, again and again each day.