Watch Twenty One Pilots Strip Down ‘Stressed Out’ in Exclusive ‘MTV Unplugged’ Clip

Twenty One Pilots deliver a slightly stripped-down rendition of “Stressed Out” in this exclusive preview of the duo’s surprise new MTV Unplugged performance, airing tonight, June 9, on MTV.

The concert — filmed in Los Angeles — deviates from the acoustic-only mandate of previous Unplugged shows but still manages to capture the intimacy of those lower-key performances as compared to the duo’s bombastic arena concerts. As MTV says of the Twenty One Pilots’ gig, “This is MTV’s most plugged Unplugged.”

In addition to “Stressed Out,” Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun run through reimagined versions of hits like “Tear In My Heart,” “House of Gold/Lane Boy,” “Shy Away,” “Ride/Nico and the Niners,” and “Car Radio/Heathens.”

In a recent interview with Forbes, the two talked about their personal favorite MTV Unplugged episodes and adding their performance to the show’s legacy. 

“I do feel like the Alice in Chains one doesn’t get as much recognition as the Nirvana one. I kind of feel like they’re up there together,” Joseph said. “So yeah, MTV Unplugged is important to just several generations of musicians, and to be able to be a part of that now and add our names to that list is pretty incredible.”

MTV Unplugged: Twenty One Pilots marks the first in the series sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink; as part of the partnership, the network will air two more Unplugged specials over the course of 2022. While the acts haven’t been revealed, one episode will tape in Atlanta while the other will take place in New York City.