These 20-somethings have built a wildly successful business based on nostalgia for the early 2000s — and New Yorkers can’t get enough

Sarah Jacobs/Business Insider

Ethan Maccoby and Alex Badanes pose outside of the venue where they originally hosted “Emo Night Brooklyn.”

Ethan Maccoby and Alex Badanes don’t actually share any family ties, but you could easily describe them as brothers. The two grew up together as neighbors outside of London and have been best friends ever since.

Their strongest tie is — and always was — music. Their Friday night hangouts started in their parents’ basements during their teen years, and routinely included listening to “emo” music from popular bands like Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday, and Brand New.

“Growing up, our favorite thing to do on a Friday night was blast emo and rock out together,” Badanes told Business Insider.

Their hangout ritual hasn’t changed much, except that they’re now selling out 1,000-plus-occupancy venues to blast the exact same early-2000s songs for fellow fans who also feel nostalgic for their youth. 

The two’s enterprise, called “Emo Night Brooklyn,” has since graced seven different venues, with ticket sales growing in volume with each event. Ahead, take a look inside a recent rowdy event (held at Irving Plaza in Manhattan) and learn the story behind their growing business.

“Emo Night Brooklyn” officially started at a small, 100-person venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in January of 2015. “The first event, [we were at a] 100-cap venue and it was free — but people were still being declined at the door, and we thought, ‘Hmm, maybe this is a thing,’” Badanes said.

“It all started with us blasting our favorite tunes, drinking beers, and everyone in the crowd screaming their lungs out. We got such a positive response out of that first and second event that Brooklyn Bowl, an 800 capacity venue, reached out,” Maccoby said. Since starting, event tickets have ranged from $5 to $10.

Starting Facebook events helped them get the word out, and the events at Brooklyn Bowl were a huge success. “Each time we did an event at BK Bowl, it became more epic, so we started getting guests DJs in the door,” Maccoby said.

While Maccoby and Badanes DJ every event, they’ve also signed on musicians from some of their favorite emo bands to DJ a set. “We’ve had Ryan Key of Yellowcard, Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line, Fred Mascherino of Taking Back Sunday, and many more,” Maccoby said.

For Maccoby and Badanes, partying with these guest DJs has been surreal. “It’s like all of our favorite idols want to come party with us!” Maccoby said.

“The music that you love in high school and middle school is with you for life. The cool thing about the emo genre is that all of these bands have a fan base that’s not going anywhere,” Badanes said. “These bands, they stick with you.”

Maccoby agreed: “People just want to reconnect to their childhood and the music that made them. These are nights where there’s no judgements, everyone can come in and sing the songs that made them.”

The events mostly attract a 21- to 35-year-old crowd. “It’s a widely diverse amount of attendees,” Maccoby said. “Some are hipsters, some are artists, some are Wall Street traders, some entrepreneurs — it’s a huge mix.”

Within a year, Emo Night Brooklyn was being celebrated outside of New York. The two were invited to host the event at Brooklyn Bowl’s Las Vegas location in November of 2015. They couldn’t refuse the offer. “What better place to party than Vegas?” Maccoby said.

This year, they’ve upped the number of events from once every other month to once a month. “This is the best night of everyone’s month, so let’s just do it every month,” Maccoby said.

“Emo music tends to get a bad rep,” Maccoby said. “Everyone makes fun of emo, like ‘Cheer up, sad kid!’ But there’s nothing sad to me about emo — every time I hear one of these songs, it’s just all smiles.”

Now, with Live Nation Entertainment helping the two book venues, and their first international show under their belt, there’s guaranteed to be more Emo Nights to come. “Whatever happens from here, we’ve fulfilled our dreams, we’ve surpassed our goals, and we’re super happy,” Maccoby said.

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