How Coachella Became a Cultural Beast

It's somewhat impossible to open social media in April without being bombarded with Coachella content. I'm sure you've seen a fit check, a marketing stunt, or perhaps even a video of someone actually performing! For as long as I have been using social media, Coachella has been a ubiquitous part of internet culture, with content permanently documenting the festival — Emma Chamberlain's 2018 Coachella video is a personal staple. Honestly, though, what about Coachella has made it the perfect setting for the “Influencer Olympics”? Unlike many other 2010s social media trends, why does this particular event endure in the public view?

The early headliners of Coachella don’t have many sonic similarities to Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, or Karol G, this year's headliners. 1999, the festival's inaugural year, had a decidedly rock lean to it, with headliners like Beck, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine. Rolling Stone lauded the festival, declaring that “Coachella made space, comfort and collective cool a priority; booked acts based on artistry rather than radio play,” and labeling it “the Anti-Woodstock.” The following five festival lineups highlighted acts like Jane’s Addiction, Weezer (twice), Oasis, Radiohead, The White Stripes, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, and The Chemical Brothers (thrice), among a host of other artists that are well-recognized to this day as icons. Part of what made this music festival different was its supposed emphasis on artistry, not just radio popularity.

As Coachella expanded in size, it grew to two weekends in 2012, making the festival more accessible while expanding its time in the limelight. If people liked what they heard from Weekend 1, they now had the opportunity to make a second weekend's worth of musical memories.

The music we now commonly associate with Coachella is quite unlike what we see in its early years. Until 2007, every Coachella headliner was a male-led band, with the exception of Bjork, who broke not only the band barrier, but the gender one as well. However, there was not a single female headliner besides Bjork until 2017, when Lady Gaga was the Saturday night headliner. Notably, that same year, Coachella began to focus more on spotlighting solo pop artists. Aside from having Radiohead headline for the third time, the other two headliners were solo: Gaga and Kendrick Lamar. After the 2017 lineup, more women, artists of color, solo acts, and pop stars were spotlighted more prevalently.

Meanwhile, a rise in promotional social media content benefited the festival. In 2018, this was catapulted to a new level. Beyoncé was the first black woman to headline Coachella, and this performance (which included the surprise of a Destiny's Child reunion) was her first time onstage since giving birth to twins. Her set marked a shift in the virality of these performances as the most-watched live Coachella performance ever at the time. The cultural and financial success of this performance led to more pop-focused performances with a more diverse array of artists, including genres and musicians outside of the historically rock-and alternative-heavy scene.

Since then, Coachella has maintained its cultural relevance, hiring the biggest American and international pop stars. The festival incentivizes even the most elusive entertainers, somehow managing to drag Frank Ocean back onstage in 2023, marking his first live performance since 2017. This year, we had the comeback of Bieber, whose last tour ended abruptly in September 2022. Without a planned tour following the release of his most recent album, Swag, this will likely be the only full show we have of this album. These rare cultural moments are a highlight of the festival. This is what gets people to tune in — even for those who can’t afford tickets and can only live vicariously through live streams. With some performances, you can only see them at Coachella.

As the culture of American pop music evolves, Coachella has evolved with it. Emerging at the turn of the 21st century, Coachella has cemented itself as a cool, unique experience. Who wouldn’t want to be part of such a significant moment? When something notable is bound to happen, people want to be there and capitalize on it. It's no wonder that the festival is so popular on social media. In fact, the festival was built this way. Coachella has been live-streamed on YouTube since 2011, leading the way for others to do so, with Glastonbury’s stream starting in 2013, and Lollapalooza's in 2021. This accessibility online is a way to get the at-home audiences involved, while marketing the festival experience and making them want to be there themselves. After all, it wouldn't be very scintillating to post a photo of yourself watching at home, but you can post yourself in your best outfit in front of the iconic rainbow tower.

Coachella has always been known for being different, and it thrives on being a unique cultural experience. It's no surprise that this festival has garnered the reputation it has. It simply is the place to be if you want to see something unexpected from the most notable musicians alive. Plus, it offers the most ideal weather one can have in April, which honestly might be one of the most important aspects of the festival's success. After all, who doesn’t want to be in Southern California in spring?

- Addie Morlan