AEG Rebrands Austin’s Emo’s as Moonline Ahead of 2027 Reopening

AEG Presents has unveiled Moonline as the new name for the longtime Emo’s Austin venue on East Riverside Drive, with the renovated 1,500-capacity room scheduled to reopen in early 2027.

The rebrand is the latest step in AEG’s expansion in Austin and will retire the Emo’s name from the East Riverside venue when the promoter takes over operations and completes a series of planned upgrades. AEG first announced in June that it would assume control of the space at 2015 East Riverside Drive and reopen it following renovations and a full rebrand. 

Planned work at Moonline includes upgrades to the sound system, green rooms, backstage areas and guest-facing amenities. AEG said it will begin booking shows ahead of the opening, with the first performances, ticket information and additional programming details expected to be announced in the coming weeks. 

“Austin has a long history of artists making music on their own terms,” Robin Phillips, vice president of AEG Presents’ Southwest Region, said in announcing the new name. “It’s a city shaped by people who built their own scenes, found their own rooms, challenged what came before them, and made something distinctly Austin long before the rest of the world caught on.”

The venue currently known as Emo’s is the East Riverside incarnation of the Austin club rather than the original downtown location. Emo’s moved to the Riverside address after its earlier Red River District location closed.

Moonline will also give AEG a smaller-capacity complement to United Heritage Hall, the promoter’s new 4,000-capacity venue under construction roughly a mile away at the River Park development.

AEG announced United Heritage Hall in August as a roughly 65,000-square-foot venue scheduled to open in spring 2027. The purpose-built room is expected to include premium hospitality areas, luxury suites and VIP seating in addition to its concert floor and general live-event facilities. 

Together, Moonline and United Heritage Hall will give AEG Presents two venues serving different levels of touring acts in Austin’s East Riverside area. The company has said the combination is intended to provide programming options ranging from emerging artists and more intimate concerts at Moonline to larger touring productions and special events at the 4,000-capacity hall. 

The two-room strategy also gives AEG greater flexibility for artist routing within the market. When it initially announced the Emo’s takeover, the company specifically pointed to the venues’ different audience sizes and their ability to accommodate a broader range of artists and programming. 

United Heritage Hall is being developed by AEG Presents in partnership with Westfield, Partners Group and Presidium as part of River Park, a 109-acre mixed-use project along the Riverside corridor. 

Moonline, meanwhile, will retain the existing 1,500-person capacity of the former Emo’s space while receiving the production and backstage upgrades ahead of its reopening.

AEG has not yet announced an inaugural show or a firm opening date for Moonline beyond early 2027.

Additional venue information and updates are available at MoonlineAustin.com.