The Project viewers left baffled over rockstar's transformation: 'What happened?'

If you lived during the great '00s emo wave that had many angsty teens in a chokehold, then there's no need to have to introduce Fall Out Boy or Pete Wentz to you.

But just in case you need a refresher, the pop-punk band rose to fame in the '00s with bangers like 'Sugar We're Going Down' and 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' (with a video starring Kim Kardashian) and bass guitarist Pete Wentz was every teen girl's dream: with his perfectly smudged eyeliner, emo fringe, and brooding lyrics.

Now, fast forward to 2023, and it turns out it wasn't just a phase, mum! Fall Out Boy are in Australia touring for Good Things Festival, and popped up on The Project to talk about music and what it was like to be the pin-up boys for an entire generation.

Upon being asked by Sarah Harris what it was like to be the emo pin-up boy of many '00s girls' (and guys') dreams, Pete looked slightly taken aback as he laughed it off.

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Saying there weren't the stereotypical boy bands around at the time when Fall Out Boy really took over the world in the mid-'00s, Pete said they became the 'default boy band' on TRL.

"We would show up and everybody was like, well they look kind of weird and they dress kind of odd, are you sure they're meant to be in?" Pete joked.

"So you're saying One Direction turned up, and then they were like 'Oh that's what..." Waleed said, before lead singer Patrick Stump jumped in to take the joke. "Oh that's what we should look like," he laughed.

Pete poked fun at people's reactions to how they dressed and looked in the '00s, but if the comments were anything to go by, Fall Out Boy still have some loyal and thirsty fans.

"Wow - he’s got better with age," one fan commented. "ABSOLUTELY LOVE FOB!" another said.

Others didn't recognise Pete straight off the bat with his longer 'do.

"Jesus .... thought it was Val Kilmer in a clip from the late noughties for a second there..." one person said with another saying "Cut the hair."

'What happened to poor old Pete?" another fan asked.

Fall Out Boy headline Good Things on December 1 in Melbourne, December 2 in Sydney, and December 3 in Brisbane. Grab your tickets here.

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