Linkin Park fans freak out after countdown ends: ‘What does it mean?!’

Fans of a popular 2000s rock band are freaking out after a countdown to a big announcement ended with a mysterious message.

Linkin Park started a 100-hour timer on its official website and social media accounts Saturday, sparking speculation of a new tour with a new lead singer. The countdown ended Wednesday afternoon, appeared to glitch, and then the clock started counting back up again.

“It’s only a matter of time…” Linkin Park’s official social media accounts said when the countdown started going in reverse.

Fans reacted with a mix of frustration, confusion and jokes.

“What does it mean?!” a fan wrote on X, sharing a clip of the clock starting to count up.

“MAN WHATS GOING ON,” an Instagram user wrote.

“Every time you guess the new Linkin Park singer incorrectly another 100 hours gets added to the timer,” one tweet said.

“In the end the Linkin Park countdown didn’t even matter,” another X user wrote.

“I can’t believe that i’ve been trolled by one of my favorite bands,” an Instagram comment said.

“Shinoda count your days,” another wrote.

As of Thursday morning, Linkin Park still has not made any official announcements. Early speculation pointed to the band doing a reunion tour with a new vocalist to replace original frontman Chester Bennington, who died in 2017.

Some theories suggested Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley would be joining LP after the “Fat Lip” pop-punk band’s farewell tour. Whibley said he was making his own announcement on the same day that Linkin Park’s countdown ended, but later clarified he was not joining Linkin Park, or Oasis, “or any other band for that matter.”

According to Arizona radio station 98 KUPD, Whibley’s announcement turned out to be an offer for a free, autographed book jacket for any fans who preorder his upcoming memoir, “Walking Disaster,” and show proof of purchase at Sum 41′s merch table when their farewell tour resumes next week.

“Oh, how hard it is to plan an announcement these days and not get in the way of multiple other rock artists making announcements at the same time and getting it all messed up,” Whibley joked.

Billboard reported earlier this year that Linkin Park members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Dave Farrell were considering reuniting for 2025 concerts with a female singer. The group was one of the biggest acts of the 2000s with its mix of hip-hop, alternative rock and nu metal.

Orgy frontman Jay Gordon, who collaborated with Linkin Park on a remix of “Points of Authority” for 2002′s “Reanimation” album, fueled buzz in March when he told California radio station KCAL 96.7 that he heard a Linkin Park reunion tour would feature a “girl singer.” He later claimed he knew “nothing about” a new “Linkin Park singer thing.”

Possible names floated include Evanescence singer Amy Lee, a favorite from the same era as Linkin Park. She told iHeartRadio Canada in April that she hadn’t been contacted about the possible collaboration but called it an “awesome” idea.

“They should ask me about that. I don’t have a ton of free time, but I might do it part-time,” she said.

Linkin Park, known for hits like “In the End,” “Numb,” “What I’ve Done,” “One Step Closer,” and the Grammy-winning “Crawling,” fueled reunion rumors earlier this year with a new greatest hits release featuring a previously unreleased song, “Friendly Fire.” Shinoda, also known for his work as a solo artist and with Fort Minor, said any news would come from the band’s website.

“Rumors always go around. People always ask what’s next for the band, and the best answer I can ever give anybody is when there’s something to tell you, we will tell you. When there’s an announcement to be made, it will be on LinkinPark.com,” he told Revolver magazine in April. “If you’re hearing it from somebody else, you can trust that information as much as you want to trust it.”