My Chemical Romance Hits No. 1 After Olivia Rodrigo's Album Dropped
The 20th anniversary reissue of The Black Parade jumped from No. 139 to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ending a 20-year wait that is the longest in chart history.
By Thomas Obasi ·
My Chemical Romance has secured its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. The achievement came from the 20th anniversary reissue of their third studio album, The Black Parade. The release climbed from No. 139 to the top spot on the chart dated Nov. 7, 2026.
The jump was driven by strong sales performance in the United States. According to Luminate data cited by Billboard, the album earned 78,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 29. This represented a 653% increase from the previous week. Pure album sales accounted for 68,000 of those units, a figure that rose by 2,082%. This 20-year wait for a No. 1 position is the longest in history. It surpasses the 15-year and nine-month wait for Toby Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits, which topped the chart following his death in 2024.
Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, held the No. 1 spot for three weeks after its release in June. It recently dropped to No. 2, earning 64,000 equivalent album units, a 15% decrease. The New York Times reported on Nov. 5 that Rodrigo’s recent actions indirectly allowed My Chemical Romance to take the top position. The publication noted that Rodrigo, who has cited The Black Parade as an influence, attended a My Chemical Romance concert during the band’s 2026 tour.
Rodrigo posted the band’s performance of the title track to her Instagram stories, accompanied by multiple heart emojis. She also visited the band on the night of the show. Brian Schechter, the band’s manager, told The New York Times that he viewed her public support as a selfless act. She could easily try to block the band from being No. 1, but from everything I saw, she didn’t do anything, Schechter said. He added that she just let it organically play out. Fans have speculated that Rodrigo could have maintained her No. 1 status by releasing new versions of her album or doing a reissue, but the band has not yet issued a public statement regarding the chart achievement.
The band has outlined its plans for the coming year. Frontman Gerard Way announced during an Oct. 30 performance at the Hollywood Bowl that the group intends to record a new album in 2027. He stated that they are probably not doing any shows next year. Sometimes shit will sound, like, intentionally vague, when really it’s just to protect everybody’s feelings involved, Way said. He added that next year, we wanna go make a record. We’re probably not doing any shows. He predicted the group would return to touring in 2028.
In late October, the band released an animated film titled Prelude to the End. The eight-minute film was created in collaboration with visual artist Lauren Tsai. It features voice performances by Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, and video game producer Hideo Kojima. The story follows a character named Astrid in a mysterious school. The film’s dark aesthetic mirrors the presentation of The Black Parade. Various fan theories have emerged suggesting the video contains clues about the tracklist for the band’s next record. The 20th anniversary reissue also includes unique pieces of art in certain physical copies.
