The Black Parade

The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, first released on October 23, 2006, through Reprise Records. A predominantly emo, alternative rock, pop-punk, hard rock, and punk rock concept album, it is centered on the story of a dying man with cancer known as "The Patient", as he nears the end of his life. The album was produced by the band alongside Rob Cavallo, and is the band's only studio album to feature Bob Bryar on drums before his departure in 2010.

Work began on the album in early 2006, with the band being influenced by the success and expectations set by their previous studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004). Aiming to outdo that album in as much as they could, Gerard Way came up with the idea to make it a concept album. Recording for the album took place from April to August 2006, with most of the album being written and recorded while the band secluded themselves within the Paramour Mansion. Due to their seclusion from the outside world during the album's production, the band members—particularly bassist Mikey Way, faced several mental health issues that would eventually hinder the production of the album and influence the creation of several songs.

The Black Parade received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified as 4× platinum in the United States, 3× platinum in the United Kingdom, as well as gold in both Argentina and Chile. It was also given the Platinum Europe Award by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The album was supported by four singles: "Welcome to the Black Parade", which was the band's first number one single in the United Kingdom, "Famous Last Words", "I Don't Love You", and "Teenagers". In support of the album, My Chemical Romance embarked on the Black Parade World Tour from February 2007 to May 2008.

In the years since its release, The Black Parade has been revered by music journalists as one of, if not the most important album to the history of the emo music genre. It left a profound impact on the sound of emo music, with it largely ending the dominance of emo-pop and influencing the sound of future rappers, numerous metalcore bands, contemporary pop artists, as well as film soundtracks. The album also left a significant impact on alternative culture and fashion as a whole, and propelled My Chemical Romance to become a global phenomenon, with the album being considered the band's defining work. The record was reissued as The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts in 2016, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the album's release. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 361 in its updated list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".