Re-envisioning what pop can be in the 21st century, AJR unassumingly emerged as a ubiquitous hitmaking outlier and one of the biggest indie bands in the world. Since 2012, the multiplatinum indie pop trio—Adam (bass, vocals), Jack (vocals, guitar) and Ryan (ukulele, piano, vocals)—has generated billions of streams and earned one triple-platinum single, one double-platinum single, four platinum singles and one platinum album.

“Neotheater” (2019) marked their biggest first-week debut, bowing at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the top alternative albums chart and No. 1 on the top rock albums chart. Cemented as part of the modern zeitgeist, Spotify touted “Sober Up” (featuring Rivers Cuomo) among the “best rock songs of the 2010s,” while Apple Music included “Weak” on its “best alt songs of the 2010s.” They remain one of the 500 most-listened to artists on Spotify.

On the heels of “Neotheater,” they dropped the 2020 platinum blockbuster “BANG!,” which cracked the top 10 at three radio formats, peaking at No. 6 on the top 40 chart, No. 2 on alternative radio and No. 1 on adult pop, and marked their first top 10 entry on Billboard’s Hot 100. Their latest album, “The Maybe Man” (AJR Productions/Republic Records), was released in 2023. The title character is “a big sad superhero who is always questioning who he is.” Like a giant out of your favorite fairy tale, emotion hangs over his head, so it doesn’t have to hang over yours.