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MusicPlaqueBoyMaxJun 22, 2025

PlaqueBoyMax Lit Summer Smash on Fire

Trading his chat for a sea of screaming fans, the streamer proved his rap star bona fides onstage in Chicago.

By Precious Fondren
PlaqueBoyMax performs at Summer Smash in Chicago.
Image via X/@PlaqueReport

PlaqueBoyMax might have the most rabid, dedicated fanbase of any artist at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash.

He didn’t just touch grass this weekend but instead stomped on it, moshed through it, and left it scorched under the festival’s Ecco Tent. Max built his following by talking his talk on Twitch, but now he’s putting that mic to new use. On Saturday, the internet’s favorite chaotic streamer-turned-artist hit the stage in Chicago, trading his chat for a sea of screaming fans who proved they’re just as rowdy offline as they are in the comments. 

Calling his set “high-energy” would be like calling the internet “kind of opinionated.” In reality, it was 20 minutes of pure digital-to-physical conversion for some: bass drops designed for blown-out laptop speakers finally getting their due on a concert-quality setup. If you were wondering whether the internet can manufacture a future rap star—spoiler: It can.

Though it technically fell in a midday slot, Max’s performance felt like the real kickoff of the day, with fans climbing onto pillars for a better view of the stage, security be damned. A warning that their wristbands would be cut and they’d be kicked out did nothing to stop them. And as he performed TikTok-viral tracks like “Layflat” and “Pink Dreads,” the crowd broke into a series of mosh pits, emerging from them drenched in perspiration. They said it was more than worth it.

@13thprecinct PlaqueBoyMax performs his hit song “Sevan” for the first time and the crowd goes crazy 🔥🐐 #plaqueboymax #fiveforever #summersmash #pbm #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - 13thprecinct

“I’m sweaty as hell right now. Trust, I’m in there,” said Tion Hunter, 22, fresh out of a pit and grinning through the chaos. “All I can say is that he’s a funny guy. Whenever he’s streaming, his music is OK. It can be a little longer, but I obviously still enjoy it.”

Hunter’s friend Aiden Beard agreed, slightly out of breath but fully converted. “It’s just crazy in the tent, man. It’s good. It’s hype. It’s a good overall experience.”

They both discovered the New Jersey-born Max through TikTok, not Twitch, but were already hip to the streamer-to-music pipeline. “They’re tapped in with people like Zack Bia and Drake,” Beard pointed out. “I think they could definitely tap into the music stuff, especially if they have the talent to do it.”

@girlheclipss PMB BACK?? #plaqueboymax #pbm #ddg #fyp #pinkdreads #xyzbca #summersmash #twitch ♬ original sound - Girlheclipss

Let’s be honest: Not every streamer should be a rapper. But Max makes the leap feel inevitable. His music, while not yet fully formed, hits that sweet spot between SoundCloud-era grit and TikTok algorithm-born hooks. 

And unlike some of his peers fumbling the jump to stage, Max already knows how to command a crowd. Call it a side effect of being live five days a week—he’s used to putting on a show.

The truth is, the internet has been birthing stars outside the label machine for years. PlaqueBoyMax is just the latest to step off the screen and into the spotlight. And based on this performance, he won’t be the last.

“I think this just proves that the internet can take anybody anywhere,” Hunter said. 

Couldn’t agree more. 

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