Whether born from creativity, a convenient opportunity, or boredom, side projects have been popular since the early days of music. Often overlapping with the term “supergroup,” these side quests provide a cathartic outlet, letting musicians pursue paths that often aren’t a fit for their main bands — from softer takes on their sound to total left turns. Because there are so many standouts within our community, we asked our readers to vote on the best side projects of all time. Their answers didn’t disappoint, tracing back to the early 2000s and including some modern acts, too. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
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5. ††† (Crosses)
It’s clear that Deftones’ Chino Moreno likes to stay busy. He’s stepped outside of his beloved main band several times over the years, including work with Team Sleep, Palms, and Saudade. While all of that music is strong, his side project with Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, ††† (Crosses), stands out from the rest. Founded in 2011, ††† (Crosses) have tapped into goth, dream pop, darkwave, and beyond but always find a way to upstage what they’ve done before. With two albums and multiple EPs under their belts, ††† (Crosses) have a deep drive to push their music into limitless spaces — and they’ve certainly succeeded.
4. +44
2006 was quite a year. Following blink-182’s split in 2005, Tom DeLonge kept busy with Angels & Airwaves, while Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed +44 and debuted When Your Heart Stops Beating. Produced by longtime blink collaborator Jerry Finn, the project definitely takes inspiration from their main gig, employing the upbeat pop punk of their early records and then dipping into darker tones like 2003’s Untitled. It’s got some truly phenomenal (and heartbreaking) songwriting across its dozen tracks, which is why readers generally consider it a perfect record.
3. Isles & Glaciers
Craig Owens has been involved in a fair share of side projects over the years. However, it seems like Isles & Glaciers remains his most beloved — at least in the eyes of our readers. Made up of members of Chiodos, Pierce the Veil, and Sleeping With Sirens, Isles & Glaciers’ time as a band was fleeting but impactful. Their one and only EP, 2010’s The Hearts of Lonely People, was eclectic but surprisingly cohesive for a project with seven different voices, especially considering that “Empty Sighs and Wine” featured three vocalists.
2. L.S. Dunes
Though they’d probably recoil at the term (as well as the label “supergroup”), our readers named L.S. Dunes as one of the greatest side projects — and it’s hard not to argue. Comprising members of Saosin, Circa Survive, My Chemical Romance, Thursday, and Coheed and Cambria, the band started as “a lifeline during the pandemic” and have only continued to deepen. However, despite each member’s profound effect on the 2000s alternative scene, Dunes look toward the present, not the past. The project is a reflection of five best friends following their “first best guess” and just doing what they love.
1. Box Car Racer
Back in 2001, blink-182 were simply on top of the world, selling out gigs and appearing on magazine covers (including ours). Singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge, however, had a lot of songs stored up that didn’t quite fit their bright aesthetic — they were darker and heavier than the trio’s juvenile pop punk. Naturally, he formed Box Car Racer as an outlet for that side of himself, tapping David Kennedy and Anthony Celestino, plus his blink bandmate Travis Barker. The result was the most overwhelmingly beloved blink-182 offshoot, channeling post-hardcore fury with moody melodies that resonated with thousands in the summer of 2002. The energy was so powerful that it’d eventually surface a year later on blink-182’s Untitled.