"Cheerleader" is a song recorded by the American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

producer

Porter Robinson Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Robinson began producing electronic music during his adolescence. He sign ...

for his third studio album, '' Smile! :D'' (2024). An

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

song, its lyrics, written by Robinson, deal with parasocial relationships. "Cheerleader" was released on March 20, 2024, through

Mom + Pop A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestatio ...

, as the lead single from ''Smile! :D''. For his first solo release in two years, Robinson wanted to create something that people would enjoy "with zero context". It was accompanied by a music video where Robinson enters a

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

. Multiple critics highlighted the contrast between the song's melody and lyrics, further noting its influence from

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

. The song peaked at number 12 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Dance/Electronic Songs Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (formerly Dance/Electronic Songs) is a record chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is their first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according ...

Background and composition

"Cheerleader" was

's first solo release in two years. It was one of the first songs that Robinson wrote for his new musical era. On writing the song, he said in a press release that he wanted to create something "that people could love with zero context – just instantaneous, universal, explosive connection". The lyrics depict the convoluted, parasocial relationship between musicians and their fans, one example being the line "She's got hearts in her eyes / Saying, 'Boy, you better watch the time / Cause if you're not mine I'd rather see you burned alive". The song features Robinson's own vocals, which Robin Murray of '' Clash'' described as "scintillating". An

and

song, multiple critics noted the contrast between its melody and lyrics. Gillian Telling of ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' wrote that "Cheerleader" is "more of a pop anthem with emo undertones", contrasting with Robinson's previous works; Telling said Robinson was "reinventing his sound". Similarly, Cleber Facchi of ''Música Instantânea'' felt that the song shows Robinson having a "completely distinct approach" when compared to his previous releases due to its emo sound. Colin Joyce of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' said that the track resembled the

emo pop Emo pop (alternatively typeset with a hyphen, also known as emo pop-punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with pop-punk, pop music, or both. Emo pop features a musical style with more concise composition and Hook (music), hook-filled ...

Metro Station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

and the post-

hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...

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and Aldn. Jason Lipshutz of ''

'' described it as "a

shot of adrenaline, with buzzing melodies and instrumental pile-ups that will leave you dizzy", while Dan Harrison of ''Dork'' noted the song's "bouncy synths and earworm melodies". Robin Murray of ''Clash'' and Liberty Dunworth of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' described it as "explosive". Paul Simpson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described the verses as resembling Phoenix's

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

and the chorus as "soaring, anthemic ndspiked with punchy breakbeats".

Release and reception

"Cheerleader" was released on March 20, 2024, through

, as the lead single from Robinson's third studio album, '' Smile! :D''. The song was accompanied by a music video directed by Hugh Mulhern and creative-directed by

Bradley & Pablo Bradley & Pablo, composed of Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler, are a British director duo. They are known for directing high-energy and visually-striking music videos and commercials. Career The duo met in London while studying graphic design ...

, where Robinson enters a

. Harrison described "Cheerleader" as a highlight from the album due to its blend of depth and accessibility. Lipshutz praised that Robinson had created "the complete opposite of background noise". Matthew Kim of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' wrote that the song "has the most euphoric hook of the year". Narzra Ahmed from ''Clash'' described it as "anthemic". The song peaked at number 12 on ''

. It is also featured in the soundtrack of the video game ''

EA Sports FC 25 ''EA Sports FC 25'' is a football simulation video game published by EA Sports. It is the second installment in the ''EA Sports FC'' series and the 32nd overall installment of EA Sports' football simulation games. The game was developed by EA ...

''(2024). On May 1, 2025, "Cheerleader", alongside "Knock Yourself Out XD", was added to ''

Dance Dance Revolution World is a music video game released in 2024. The latest version/installment of ''Dance Dance Revolution'', it is the sequel to '' Dance Dance Revolution A3'', and the 19th installment of the ''Dance Dance Revolution'' arcade series in Japan (the ...

''.

Year-end lists

Charts

References

{{Porter Robinson 2024 singles 2024 songs Porter Robinson songs Songs written by Porter Robinson American synth-pop songs Songs about fame