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Mynavi Senko Riot: A Scouting Guide to Japan's Next Big Bands

Senko Riot is Japan's teens-only band showcase run by SCHOOL OF LOCK!. Why it is a great place to spot rising bands early, and why you should look beyond the grand prize winners.

Every August in Tokyo, a music festival for teenage bands and artists only fills a venue with the next generation of Japanese rock. It is called 閃光ライオット (Senko Riot), and since it came back in 2023 under the name マイナビ 閃光ライオット, it has become one of the best places to find young bands before they get big.

If you like discovering bands at small live houses, this contest is a good scouting list. This article explains what it is, why it is worth following, and why you should not stop at the winners.

What is Senko Riot?

Senko Riot is a music festival for artists aged 10 to 19 ("10代"), produced by the TOKYO FM radio show SCHOOL OF LOCK! together with Sony Music. Bands and singer-songwriters send in their songs, go through several rounds of screening, and the finalists play a live final on a big stage.

• The first run: 2008 to 2014. It was held once a year, and the venue changed over time, ending at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST in Tokyo in 2014.
• A break, then a comeback. After 2014, the idea carried on under another name for a while. In 2023, Senko Riot returned after nine years as the マイナビ 閃光ライオット produced by SCHOOL OF LOCK!
• The recent editions. They are held on a day in early August at Zepp DiverCity (Tokyo). In 2026, admission was free, and the show was also streamed online.

Written from public announcements and press coverage. Details change from year to year, so check the official SCHOOL OF LOCK! announcements for the next edition.

Why it is worth following

The festival has a long record of introducing bands that later became well known. For example:

• Galileo Galilei won the grand prix at the first Senko Riot in 2008.
• 緑黄色社会 (Ryokuoushoku Shakai), known among fans as "Ryokushaka," was a runner-up in 2013 and is now one of the best-known bands to have come out of the contest.

Because every entrant is a teenager, you hear bands at the very start of their careers. Many of them are still playing small live houses a few years later, which is exactly where you can see them up close and at low prices.

Don't only look at the winners

The grand prix is only one of the awards, and it is not the only way to be noticed. Winning is not a guarantee of success, and not winning is not the end.

This point was made at the 2026 festival itself. 谷口鮪 of KANA-BOON, who is from the Senko Riot generation and was one of the special supporters, said in a message that some artists did not win a prize but kept making music, and now share the stage with him. He encouraged the audience to keep supporting the artists they met that day. (This is a paraphrase of his message in the official press release.)

A few examples of the same story:

• WOMCADOLE and Ivy to Fraudulent Game both reached the finals in 2013 without winning the grand prix, in a year when the grand prix went to フィッシュライフ and 緑黄色社会 was a runner-up. They went on to careers beyond the contest, and you can find Ivy to Fraudulent Game on our site: see our Ivy to Fraudulent Game page.
• The special prizes are a clue too. In recent years there have been awards beyond the grand prix, such as the Mynavi Yell Song Prize, a Special Supporter Prize and a Judges' Special Prize. Bands that win these are often just as interesting.

So when you read the list of finalists, treat every name as a possible future favorite, not only the winner.

Winners and prizes

Recent editions (2023 to 2026)

A story from 2026: the grand prix band 札幌某所 (from Hokkaido) had reached the third round in 2025 but missed the final stage. They entered again as a "last challenge," and won.

The first run (2008 to 2014)

In the first run there was also a runner-up prize (準グランプリ), and several editions had more than one runner-up.

Look at the "Brian the Sun" and "ねごと" rows in 2008: neither took the grand prix, and both became well known afterwards.

Some finalists from these editions also show up on our site. You can find めっちゃ美人, the 2025 grand prix winner, and インタールード, a finalist in both 2024 and 2025.

How to use it as a scouting list

1. Read the full finalist list, not just the winners. Each edition has around 8 to 12 acts.
2. Search for each band's name. Most have an X account, a YouTube channel or a streaming page, as the contest is aimed at artists starting out.
3. Check our band list and show list. If a finalist plays a small live house in Tokyo, you can often see them for a few thousand yen.
4. Go early. The point of finding a band at this stage is to see them before they play bigger rooms.

Ready to go?

If you are new to Japanese live houses, start with our first-timer's guide and see how to read the titles of Japanese gigs. For a day of shows at several venues, see our circuit festival guide.

• Browse upcoming shows
• All bands on our site

Appendix: Finalists by year

The full list of acts for each edition, in performance order. Prizes are noted after each name. This list is compiled from public announcements, so please check the official SCHOOL OF LOCK! pages for the authoritative record.

2026 (August 6, Zepp DiverCity)

1. 札幌某所 (Grand prix)
2. PrizzM DoLL (Mynavi Yell Song Prize)
3. NENE (Special Supporter Prize)
4. 伽乱堂
5. 三節棍
6. 白壁ガールズ
7. Pitch Blue
8. Head Hunt

Copy-band stage grand prix: E'sekai

2025 (August 7, Zepp DiverCity)

1. めっちゃ美人 (Grand prix)
2. AKAMONE (Mynavi Yell Song Prize)
3. 中村 旭 (Special Supporter Prize)
4. Cultboi
5. ハッピーセット
6. PRE
7. 愛情ク裸部
8. インタールード
9. 物品販売

Vocaloid stage grand prix: 奏

2024 (August 7, Zepp DiverCity)

1. プライドの高い深夜のコンビニアルバイト
2. LaDybug
3. 皆川溺
4. Yukky
5. halogen
6. LOM
7. Crazycastle
8. 友利あゆ
9. インタールード
10. admires (Grand prix)

2023 (August 7, Zepp DiverCity)

1. Blue Mash
2. 三四少女
3. shoki (Judges' Special Prize)
4. 極樂万博
5. RIP DISHONOR
6. イクラノドン
7. halogen
8. 超☆社会的サンダル
9. でかくてまるい。 (Grand prix)

2014

1. Cookie Monsters (Judges' Special Prize)
2. climbgrow (Runner-up)
3. 突然少年 (Grand prix)
4. Rick Rack
5. ぼくのりりっくのぼうよみ
6. 黄金世代
7. 爆弾ジョニー
8. 妄想キャリブレーション
9. 挫・人間
10. テスラは泣かない。

2013

1. THE 地球連邦軍 (Judges' Special Prize)
2. フィッシュライフ (Grand prix)
3. 緑黄色社会 (Runner-up)
4. 我儘ラキア
5. DOOKIE HOTEL
6. Stand Maria
7. のとしん
8. 導楽
9. クアイフ

2012

1. WOMCADOLE
2. Half moon spiral (Runner-up)
3. 内村イタル (Judges' Special Prize)
4. OFF-END
5. 滲む図形
6. バンクス (Grand prix)
7. 陸上競技部
8. Paradox
9. HEAD SPEAKER

2011

1. PAIGE (Grand prix)
2. 片平里菜 (Judges' Special Prize)
3. ALTRA&CRYOGENIC
4. SPELLBOUND
5. 鍵を取り戻せ!
6. 1.8m
7. 寸劇ライン
8. Nikiie
9. Czecho No Republic
10. CODE-V

2010

1. NewClearFamily
2. The Clap
3. BURNOUT SYNDROMES (Runner-up)
4. Strange-Machine
5. Naked blue star (Runner-up)
6. ラムチョップス
7. 山下歩 (Haruna Kawaguchi Prize)
8. 3103 (Judges' Special Prize)
9. THE★米騒動 (Grand prix)
10. 万能グローブ
11. 契
12. 羊歯植物

2009

1. Livil
2. The SALOVERS (Judges' Special Prize)
3. CHEESE CAKE (Runner-up)
4. 関取花 (Judges' Special Prize)
5. 集中治療室
6. DOOKIE HOTEL
7. SHIT HAPPENING (Grand prix)
8. 挫・人間 (Natsumi Elena Prize)
9. 釈迦兎
10. 警報注意報
11. ふきだし
12. 195 BANANA

2008

1. Galileo Galilei (Grand prix)
2. NEKO BEHIND
3. ジュブナイルボート (Judges' Special Prize)
4. K-ing
5. Brian the Sun (Runner-up)
6. Clacks
7. ねごと (Judges' Special Prize)
8. 本棚のモヨコ
9. SHIT HAPPENING
10. DOMINO
11. Little side show
12. 概してボブ