At one point in time,
Fall Out Boy were kings of emo-adjacent pop punk, part of a long lineage of Warped Tour headliners who spoke to the eyeliner-and-tight-shirt masses. Along the way, they grew up, started families, and devoted more energy to feeling good instead of whining about slighted hearts. On their second hits collection,
Believers Never Die: The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, the band showcase this second-era, jock jams phase, culling singles from albums
Save Rock and Roll (2013),
American Beauty/American Psycho (2015), and
Mania (2018). Non-album collaborations also make the cut, emphasizing their genre-spanning proclivities with guests
Lil Peep and
iLoveMakonnen ("I've Been Waiting") and
Wyclef Jean ("Dear Future Self [Hands Up]"). While the first volume featured 2000s genre classics like the multi-platinum "Sugar, We're Goin Down," "Dance, Dance," and "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race,"
Vol. 2 really drives the point home that
Fall Out Boy changed into a much bigger beast in the 2010s. From the Warped stage to packed stadiums, their style shifted further -- for better or worse -- to energized, fist-pumping, foot-stomping anthems that borrowed more from dance pop, new wave, and arena rock than the pop punk of their early years. Fully edging into the mainstream with radio hits "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark," "Uma Thurman," and "Centuries,"
Fall Out Boy climbed higher up the charts and received more platinum certifications. In a move that would have baffled early emo fans, their songs also joined "We Will Rock You" and "Rock and Roll Part 2" in the rousing sports-spectator canon, confirming them as the
Imagine Dragons or
Maroon 5 of the Hot Topic universe. No doubt, these tracks are tailor-made to excite and inspire, leaving the emo-dramatics, punk riffs, and overly clever lyrics in the past in favor of powerful singalongs and energetic fun.
Believers Never Die: The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 serves as a testament to evolution in
Fall Out Boy's second decade together, demonstrating that a band can switch it up without losing steam or an audience. ~ Neil Z. Yeung