A dramatic side-profile performance shot of a person with a shaved head and beard singing into a microphone. They have several visible tattoos on their head and hand, wearing a dark green button-down shirt illuminated by cool teal and warm yellow stage lighting against a background of tiered seating.
Ortrotasce plays Gasparilla Music Festival’s Kiley Amphitheatre stage at Kiley Gardens in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 26, 2022. Credit: Rebecca Gast / Gasparilla Music Festival

From brooding post-punk to Afro-fusion, Tampa Bay’s music scene has no interest in sticking to one lane. 

As 2026 kicks off, a new crop of homegrown artists is pushing past “up-and-coming” and into something more solid: sold-out shows, official releases, and a growing sense that Tampa Bay isn’t just incubating talent–it’s exporting it. From sweaty club stages to vinyl bins and festival lineups, these six acts are shaping the sound of the city right now. 

The Miller Lowlifes Credit: Dave Decker

Tampa’s Miller Lowlifes are the beer-sloshing uncle at the backyard barbecue of pop-punk

A flash-lit group portrait of three people holding bouquets of flowers. The individual on the left has voluminous curly dark hair and is wearing a brown textured button-down shirt with baby's breath tucked into the pocket. The person in the center has long wavy hair with a pink flower tucked behind their ear, looking upward. The person on the right has long curly dark hair and a wide smile, holding a bouquet of yellow and pink lilies.
Jupiter Bloom Credit: Elise Norman / jupiterbloomband/Instagram

Jupiter Bloom is the indie-rock crew Tampa didn’t know it needed

Pusha Preme plays Gasparilla Music Festival at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 16, 2024. Credit: Fabian Bailey / Gasparilla Music Festival

Tampa’s Pusha Preme blends rap with electro-soul

A warm-toned, slightly grainy group portrait of four people standing in a line, receding into the background. The individual in the foreground has wavy dark hair and is wearing a grey patterned knit sweater. The people behind them have varying hair lengths and colors, all looking toward the camera with neutral expressions in a dimly lit indoor setting with a soft green glow in the background.
Social Wreckage Credit: Nate Young / nobladesnobows/Instagram

Tampa’s Social Wreckage blends indie-rock and punk to great effect

A black-and-white group portrait of three people standing on and near a set of railroad tracks. The individual on the left is wearing a striped polo shirt and dark trousers; the person in the center is wearing a sleeveless black top and sunglasses; and the person on the right is wearing a graphic t-shirt, sunglasses, and athletic sneakers. In the background, a large industrial building with graffiti and a "W X" railroad sign are visible.
Sleeping Pills Credit: Courtesy

Sleeping Pills fuses jagged post-punk with garage-y surf riffs and new-wave hooks

An overhead, side-profile view of a person with a shaved head and beard performing electronic music. They are standing over a complex modular synthesizer filled with a dense web of colorful patch cables, adjusting the knobs. A microphone on a stand, a small mixing board, and a secondary keyboard are also part of the setup on a concrete floor.
Ortrotasce plays Gasparilla Music Festival’s Kiley Amphitheatre stage at Kiley Gardens in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 26, 2022. Credit: Dylan Wallace / Gasparilla Music Festival

Ortrotasce is Tampa Bay’s lord of analog darkwave

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This article appears in Jan. 29 – Feb. 04.