That Time My Chemical Romance Dissed Twilight After Refusing to Make a Soundtrack For It 

The rise of emo-rock band My Chemical Romance in 2004 with their album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and the global obsession with the Twilight book and movie franchise in 2008 were two cultural phenomena that collided in the late 2000s.

While both were influential in their own right, their worlds never quite meshed, and My Chemical Romance's decision to refuse to participate in the Twilight franchise, followed by a cheeky diss, added another chapter to this iconic pop culture clash.

In theory, having the creators of The Black Parade on board seemed like a perfect fit for the Twilight franchise, especially considering the fact that Stephanie Meyer drew inspiration for her books from music, specifically My Chemical Romance.

My Chemical Romance had a reputation for exploring darker themes in their songs and even contributed to the Watchmen soundtrack with a cover of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row.

Instead of a warm welcome, however, the Twilight franchise received a cool reception from the band and its leader, Gerard Way. Way mentioned that their decision to turn down the offer to write the soundtrack for New Moon was influenced by the commercialization of the entertainment industry.

Way mentioned that the band didn't like the current trend of vampires and the gothic aesthetic they had embraced on their 2006 album and decided to go in a different creative direction.

At the time, My Chemical Romance was very picky about what movies they made songs for, which is why they chose Watchmen instead of Twilight. Also, Gerard wasn't thrilled that Twilight was about a teenager having a relationship with someone much older than her.

But the story didn't end there. Instead, the band playfully poked fun at their lust for Twilight-related fame in their song Vampire Money, which takes a humorous jab at those seeking the "vampire money" associated with the series.

Guitarist Ray Toro revealed that Gerard Way wrote the song in response to the idea of creating a song for the Twilight movie. The term "vampire money" came from an interview question about capitalizing on the financial potential of the franchise.

But Vampire Money is more about not compromising one's principles for the sake of money or fame than it is specifically about Twilight.

According to interviews, the band rejected the idea of being associated with projects solely for financial gain, and Twilight symbolized the recurring requests they received from corporate interests seeking to profit from their work.