Looking for live music? Avant-garde rock, kaleidoscopic folk, and confessional angst are all coming to the D.C. area this month. Oh, plus Soulja Boy. 

HIATUS KAIYOTE: Mellow out with Hiatus Kaiyote, a neo-soul outfit from Melbourne, Australia. Fronted by Nai Palm — whose raspy vocals effortlessly melt over complicated melodies — the group has been making music for over a decade. Mood Valiant, their 2021 album, is a psychedelic, futuristic symphony rooted in jazz and soul traditions. Let their chilled-out songs wash over you when they play Silver Spring this month. (Fillmore Silver Spring; Tuesday, May 2; $65+) 

YVES TUMOR: In March, Yves Tumor released their fifth studio album: Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds). That mouthful of a title should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from it: It’s challenging and uncompromising, with playful, poetic lyricism that verges on gospel. It’s also a whole lot of fun. The album’s avant-garde blend of rock, R&B, and pop, enveloped in experimental production, has music critics likening Tumor to David Bowie and Prince. That’s a solid guarantee of a good show. (Echostage; Thursday, May 4; $37)

BABYFACE RAY: Babyface Ray is making Detroit proud. The Michigan born and raised rapper came onto the scene in 2021 with Unfuckwitable, a slice-of-life EP that debuted on the Billboard 200 list. Next came FACE, Ray’s 20-track debut studio album, which was released in 2022 to critical acclaim — and helped solidify his spot in the coveted XXL Freshman class. At the end of 2022, Ray released MOB, a swaggering and sophisticated project that delves into the ebbs and flows of the rapper’s increasingly high-profile life. The rising star plays the Fillmore this month. (Fillmore Silver Spring; Friday, May 5; $111+) 

Y LA BAMBA: The cover art of Lucha, the recently released album from Y La Bamba, features a photo of a family in lucha libre masks that’s been transposed over itself again and again, creating a kaleidoscopic effect. It’s a powerful symbol for the album’s content: Warm, psychedelic songs rooted in lead singer-songwriter Luz Elena Mendoza’s Mexican-American heritage. Within those songs are vulnerable stories about isolation, identity, generational trauma, and the winding path to healing. (Songbyrd Music House; Tuesday, May 16; $18+)

SOULJA BOY: Somewhere in the depths of your brain lies the choreography to “Crank That,” the most iconic Soulja Boy song in a long list of iconic Soulja Boy songs. Get ready to bust it out, because the Y2K legend is paying D.C. a visit. Soulja Boy has 10 studio albums under his belt, including last month’s Swag 5. But let’s be honest: We’re buying our tickets for the chance to sing the digits “(678) 999-8212” at the top of our lungs. (Howard Theatre; Wednesday, May 17; $38+)

CAROLINE POLACHEK: Welcome to Caroline Polachek’s island. It has palm trees, a blue ocean, and eccentric pop songs that excavate the depths of human desire. After steadily rising in indie spheres as one half of the duo Chairlift, Polachek went solo in 2019 with Pang, a bold debut that cemented her as an alternative popstar to be reckoned with. She’s back on tour to promote Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, her critically-acclaimed follow-up. (The Anthem; Friday, May 19; $55+) 

BLINK-182: Dust off your Vans and pull out the flat iron: blink-182 is coming to town. The founding fathers of pop-punk are on their biggest tour ever — the first reunion of Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker in nearly 10 years. They’ll be bringing 30 years of enormously catchy pop-punk to Capital One Arena, and they’d like to know that you’ll be at their show, watching, waiting, commiserating. (Capital One Arena; Tuesday, May 23; $82+) 

CHRISETTE MICHELE: Long Island native Chrisette Michele has dabbled in R&B, soul, hip-hop, jazz and gospel. The underlying force of her prolific repertoire is her voice: raspy, powerful and brimming with emotion. That voice has earned her critical acclaim, Billboard Hot 100 placements, and a Grammy — 2007’s “Be OK,” featuring will.i.am., was named the best urban/alternative performance. Hear that voice this month at the Birchmere. (The Birchmere; Wednesday, May 24 and Thursday, May 25; $69.60)

INDIGO DE SOUZA: “I talk too much when I’m nervous,” Indigo de Souza croons at the top of “Smog,” a standout track on her latest album All of This Will End. “I give too much away.” That, precisely, is De Souza’s superpower: She gives it all away. The 25-year-old from North Carolina has a knack for telling the truth, even when it’s unflattering. Delivered in an unforgettable angsty voice over jangly guitar hooks, her vulnerability makes for some of the most refreshing indie rock there is. (9:30 Club; Monday, May 29; $25+) 

LOCALS ONLY: Home Remedies (DC9 Nightclub; Thursday, May 4; $15), Wandering Bird (Pie Shop; Friday, May 5; $15), The R&B Club (Songbyrd Music House; Sunday, May 7; $15+), BDX The Don (Songbyrd Music House; Wednesday, May 10; $15+), Chisel (Black Cat; Saturday, May 13; $25), Ghosts Exists (Pie Shop; Thursday, May 25; $15+), Bela Dona Band (The Birchmere; Friday, May 26; $39.50), Ari Voxx & The Sad Lads (DC9 Nightclub; Saturday, May 27; $15+)

SOLD OUT, CHECK STUBHUB: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Anthem; Wednesday, May 3), Yaeji (9:30 Club; Friday, May 5), Kali Uchis (The Anthem; Tuesday, May 9), Alix Page (Pie Shop; Friday, May 12), Feist (9:30 Club; Friday, May 12), MUNA (The Anthem; Friday, May 12), Sabrina Carpenter (The Anthem; Sunday, May 14), The New Pornographers (9:30 Club; Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 29), The Walkmen (9:30 Club; Tuesday, May 23 through Friday, May 26)