On Saturday Night, legendary Party Girl Charli xcx, wrapped up her last performance at Coachella 2025. Over the last two weekends, her ‘Bratchella’ had caused a ruckus online, for fans and non-fans alike.
During Weekend One, she brought out special guests Lorde and Troye Sivan to run back their appearances during SWEAT Tour NYC, alongside Billie Eilish who popped up for the remixed version of ‘Guess’. Outside of these onstage guests, a few famous faces could be spotted in the crowd. We aren't just talking about Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, or DJO and Dylan Minnette, who were all spectators of the performance. But Charlixcx continued her "Apple Girl" tradition with models Alex Consani, Gabriette, and influencer Quenlin Blackwell taking over the jumbo trons.
Later that night at one of the afterparties, which was again littered with famous faces, Charli was caught wearing a sash that said “Ms Should Have Been Headliner”, which sparked a week-long feud with Green Day fans, as the rock band had the Saturday headliner slot.
[ Photo via @Charli_xcx on Instagram ]
Those attending Weekend Two in person or from home would say the second weekend was seemingly less momentous in comparison to the first. All the surprises seemed tailored towards a more niche audience, the older angels. For special guests, Addison Rae was brought out for the ‘Von dutch’ remix, and comedian Bowen Yang was on the big screen as the Apple Girl. ‘party 4 u’, one of Charli’s older tracks, made her first setlist appearance since gaining major virality on TikTok. This brought plenty of angels to tears, especially those who have been long-term fans of Charli, never expecting ‘party 4 u’ to be played on such a large-scale stage.
Weekend Two also squashed the beef between Green Day and Charli, with Billie Joe Armstrong wearing a BRAT hat during their headlining set. Their drummer, Tré Cool, was also sporting a sash that said ‘actual headliner’ sometime before or after the show. Both of these moments were recognized by Charli on Instagram and Twitter, respectively, creating peace between the fandoms.
While all of these moments were memorable, what stuck out to everyone was the end of Charli xcx’s set. After a year of obtaining this massive level of stardom, it seems the Pop Star has begun to take an introspective look at her career thus far. Her 2024 album brat, unexpectedly took over the world, infiltrating every inch of the internet, marketing and advertising companies, and even political debates. brat summer, which became brat fall and winter, will be marked as the peak of Charli’s career, cementing her presence as this unstoppable force in the industry.
Yet, regardless of the fame and the recognition, it doesn’t seem as if Charli wishes to linger in the brat era forever.
During Weekend One, the visuals behind Charli during her final song contained a monologue of sorts, one that bounced between the themes of wanting to remain in the present moment, the brat moment, forever while also wanting to learning how to leave this era behind, and accept that all good things need to come to an end eventually.
When the monologue and photo montage came to a close, the crowd was left with nothing but this looming "IDK" in the air, given no sense of true direction, and ultimately given no verdict on the future of brat and the future of Charli xcx
Weekend Two was a completely different story, with Charli's ending seeming more charged, having a true direction. The monologue began similarly, with the reuse of clips and formatting, until suddenly, Charli posed the question of…
“maybe it's time for a different kind of summer?”.
“maybe it’s time to make way for…”
In a flash, artists began appearing on the screen, each one being different from the last. HAIM, Ethel Cain, Pink Pantheress, Lorde, Yung Lean, Blood Orange, Addison Rae, and more, each artist having ‘summer’ put after their name in the brat summer fashion. You can watch the full ending montage below.
Through this, Charli is seemingly passing the brat summer torch of success onto other well-deserving artists, highlighting not only those who have been in the game for a while but also newer artists who may just be starting their careers, ultimately manifesting success for all.
She may also have teased new releases for artists who have yet to announce their projects, keeping fans on their toes.
Now, returning back to to the overarching question, Is Brat Summer Officially Over? Well, that is still somewhat unclear. Though Charli may have shifted away from the brat mindset, she still has her North American brat arena tours later this spring. However, we may see a change in her festival performances later this summer, possibly witnessing the birth of a new era, or at least a new setlist.
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