2026 Comic-Con: Green Day surprise concert, BINI, ENHYPEN, Common among musical acts

San Diego International Comic-Con, widely known as Comic-Con, is the central hub for all things fandom—from comic books and television to movies, collectibles, and anime. With the inclusion of major studios and companies, the convention's roster of talent has only grown, cementing its place as a mainstream Hollywood event.

This expansion has increasingly included musicians and major music acts, who partner with companies and productions, release their own products or content, or perform as talent. Notable past performances include:

• 2015: Hall H attendees enjoyed a Star Wars concert by the San Diego Symphony celebrating Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• 2022: Atarashii Gakko! performed as part of the Crunchyroll and 88rising concert series.
• 2023: The Adult Swim Festival featured Flying Lotus & Tyler Bates performing with a live orchestra for the Genndy Tartakovsky Musical Experience, along with performances by Hemlocke Springs, Ginger Root, DeathbyRomy, and Saba. K-pop group NCT DoJaeJung (DJJ) performed at the annual Fandom Party.
• 2024: J-pop star LiSA, experimental artist Alice Longyu Gao, and FAKE STAR USA DJs headlined the Crunchyroll concert.
• 2025: The All-American Rejects performed at the Fandom Party, SPYAIR and Denzel Curry headlined the Crunchyroll Anime FanFest, and GI Joe's Cold Slither debuted.

This year, even more music acts came out in full force, including legendary bands, an iconic rapper, a rising superstar girl group, a global K-pop group, and more.

Green Day Threw a Surprise Concert for Nimrods

In honor of the release of the Green Day-inspired success story, Nimrods is a coming-of-age road comedy about three teenagers who travel from Kansas to Los Angeles believing their band is opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve. Directed by Lee Kirk, the film stars Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, Ryan Foust, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, and Fred Armisen. It is set to be released by Inaugural Entertainment on August 14.

On Friday, at the Nimrods pop-up at Petco Park, Green Day appeared on the roof of an ice cream truck alongside Kirk, Thames, and Fischer, and began passing out themed ice cream and movie merchandise. As attendees realized Green Day was there, the crowd grew larger by the minute.

Green Day then took the stage and performed several songs, including "Basket Case" and "One of My Lies."

The Coverups Played the Night Before at the Z2 Comics x Fandom Party

The night before Green Day performed on an ice cream truck, Billie Joe Armstrong's cover band, The Coverups, performed at the annual Fandom Party at the Hard Rock Hotel. The group played 26 songs, including covers of Cheap Trick's "Hello There" and The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated." Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson joined as a featured guest and performed Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" with the band. Dickinson had previously covered the song on his 1990 solo album, Tattooed Millionaire.

Dickinson was attending Comic-Con for his graphic novel series, The Mandrake Project, produced by Z2 Comics. He was signing his latest release, The Mandrake Project, Year 2, at the autograph booth.

BINI Performed at DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island Panel

Filipina superstars BINI made a special appearance at DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island panel on Friday morning, performing their song from the soundtrack, "A Parallel World," in Ballroom 20.