On both Saturday nights of Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 of Coachella, Justin Bieber headlined the Coachella Stage. During the “Youtube” segment of the show, Bieber opened up YouTube on a laptop and started playing his old music videos. This performance caused a nostalgic, high emotion effect on people and that is why his performance got really popular with people around the world.

After the event, Bieber earned the title as the artist with most monthly listeners on Spotify.

Coachella was all over social media for days, with clips of Bieber singing alongside  videos of his younger self. Many old Bieber fans found it really addictive, giving them that nostalgic feeling after seeing Bieber singing his old songs once again.

Many say that watching Bieber’s performance “healed their inner child.” Seeing him brought many back to their younger selves. It wasn’t just about just watching him perform, it was also about all those childhood memories and nostalgia. 

At the beginning of 2026, people all over TikTok were saying that 2026 was about to be the new 2016. This refers to bringing back many popular things that were trendy back then, including Bieber, who was at the peak of his career. During that year, Bieber released hits like “Sorry” and “Love Yourself.” “Love Yourself” was the most played song on U.S. radio in 2016 and also received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Bieber sang that song at Coachella giving many people that feeling of remembrance from 2016. 

Even though his performance was a success, there were many people who judged it, saying that with that kind of stage and budget, you’d expect something far more of a “moment,” with more theatrics and effort. Some even said his performance was “unserious” for using YouTube videos as backing visuals. Despite the negative reactions, Bieber’s supporters praised his performance for being authentic, considering it a successful nostalgic comeback.