Microwave in Riverside

About Microwave

Microwave is an emo band from Poughkeepsie that treats anxiety like it's a subject worth getting angry about. They came up in the mid-2010s streaming era without much traditional label push, just building a quiet cult following through songs that balance vulnerable lyrics with the kind of guitar work that makes your stomach hurt. Their earlier records, especially "Much Love" and "It's Not About the Guitar," established them as the kind of band that could make a song about feeling trapped sound genuinely devastating. They're not reinventing emo, but they're not trying to. They're just very good at the specific thing they do: introspective songs that still hit hard, delivered with enough restraint that the heavy moments land differently. If you've found yourself rewatching their older music videos or relating to songs about overthinking, you're exactly who this band is for.

Known for Senators, Stressful, Dog Leather, Death Wish, The Most Beautiful Thing

Microwave in Riverside News

• Tylor Chase accused of damaging motel room after former Nickelodeon co-star arranged stay The Express Tribune · Dec 26, 2025
• The universe’s baby pictures just got clearer University of California, Riverside · Mar 18, 2025
• A modern classic: Riverside RV Retro 171DRD travel trailer tour RVtravel · Sep 4, 2024
• Residence Life | Living on Campus Clarkson University · Jul 24, 2023
• Robotic arms and microwave radiation: Coachella Valley students earn spots at state science fair competition The Desert Sun · Apr 12, 2017

Live Music in Riverside

Riverside's music scene has been quietly building momentum, even if it lives in the shadow of LA. The city's DIY venues and younger crowds have developed real taste for guitar-driven indie and post-punk, which is exactly Microwave's lane. This feels like the kind of show that could actually matter here.

Riverside road trip to see Microwave?

Stay in the Magnolia Center area near downtown Riverside, where restored historic buildings sit alongside new boutique hotels and wine bars—it's the only neighborhood that actually feels like somewhere worth spending an evening. Before the show, dinner at Duane's, a reliable California steakhouse with real cocktails and actual craft to the food. Spend your afternoon at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum or walking through the Mission Inn's sprawling Mission Revival campus—it's genuinely stunning architecture, the kind of thing that reminds you why people actually settled this part of California.