Bathed in flashing LED lights, indie rock band The Runarounds exploded with energy in front of a sold-out crowd at The Fonda Theatre on Friday night. A sea of fans matched their ferocious liveliness, screaming the lyrics of nearly every song back at the five rowdy pop-punk rockers.

Supported by indie surf band Easy Honey in the first leg of their nearly sold-out 2026 “The Minivan Tour,” the unapologetically loud and spirited band made up of Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, Jeremy Yun, Zendé Murdock and 2025 USC alum William Lipton jumped around the stage playing hit after hit. 

The band has blasted off in popularity largely thanks to the success of the fictional teen drama series, “The Runarounds,” which made its debut last September on Prime Video. “Outer Banks” co-creator Jonas Pate formed the group in 2020 after posting a casting call looking for musicians for the Netflix show, which became a springboard for the band members to begin making music together.

In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Ellis, a guitarist and vocalist for the band, said he felt lucky to see the crowd so energized during their set, like with their songs “Sophia” and “Ghosts.”

“We were feeding off of it. I look at people’s faces, and that kind of gets me going and to try 110%,” Ellis said. “I love doing it, but we’ve played that set quite a few times, so it makes it feel fresh every time when people are engaged.”

Ellis said that because there are so many great performances in Los Angeles, there can be pressure from the crowd to impress them with something exceptional.

“​​Tonight, it didn’t really feel like that. Everybody was singing the words,” Ellis said. “It was cool that everybody was singing and dancing, and it’s just fun to see. We’re so lucky.”

During Friday’s performance, actress, singer and USC senior Lilah Pate, who plays Sophia Kinney in the show, joined The Runarounds on stage to perform “Hypocrites” and a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.” The crowd went wild as she briefly shared a microphone with her on-screen love interest, Lipton, who plays Charlie Cooper.

In the show, Ellis plays Neil Crosby, a “philosophical stoner.” Ellis said the character comes naturally to him because it closely reflects who he was in high school, and he even uses his college wardrobe in the show.

“The goal of the show was to reflect what we were all doing in high school and to show love to indie bands and garage bands and all the shit that I was going out and seeing,” Ellis said.

Ellis said when writing their songs, the band tried not to make them hyper-specific to the show, so that they could translate to a live performance setting.  

“We wrote the songs … so they can exist on their own,” Ellis said. “We relate to all the themes in the music, and so if people do too, then we’re just so happy about it.”

A videographer and a friend of Ellis, Carson Kennedy, said it was obvious that many of The Runarounds’ songs resonated with fans, as the crowd of mostly teenagers and young adults screamed every word to songs like “Senior Year” and “15 Rootbeers.”

“[The Runarounds] did a very, very good job of incorporating the whole vibe of the show,” Carson said. “It was perfect. It was like I was watching the show in real life.”

Carson said he was amazed that The Runarounds took the show to the next level. He’s gone to a lot of Ellis’ shows, but this one felt like a particularly good one.

“People screaming, they’re so happy to be here,” Carson said. “Something they saw on TV once, and they loved it, and now they can see it live.”

Easy Honey opened for The Runarounds last September in Wilmington, North Carolina, during their first tour. 

Bassist and vocalist for Easy Honey, Webster Austin, said they connected through Ellis’ band, Ax and the Hatchetmen. When Easy Honey performed their song “Moncloa” during their set, trumpeter Phil Pistone of Ax and the Hatchetmen performed a horn solo accompanied by the band. 

Austin said it has been “awesome” touring with The Runarounds, describing them as “super sweet” and talented.

“They’ve been really cool to us, and they’re just great musicians,” Austin said. “They have the TV show, but they’re like a real band … and they back it up.”

Near the end of the concert, before The Runarounds performed “Chasing The Good Times,” the crowd started chanting “season two” repeatedly, with the band eventually joining in with their instruments. Ellis said his fingers are crossed that Prime Video will greenlight a second season, but the band plans on writing new music regardless.

“If we get it, we get it, but either way, I’m cool,” Ellis said. “I just feel great as is, having people there that connected to what we did, so that’s a win for me.”