JemCon 2026: Truly Outrageous in San Diego

If you grew up in the 1980s, there is a good chance you remember the moment Jem appeared on your television screen. The hair was bigger, the clothes were louder, the music was unforgettable. Somehow, a cartoon about a glamorous rock star became something much more personal for a generation of fans. More than four decades later, that love is still alive, and this September, Jem fans from around the world will bring it to San Diego for JemCon 2026: All In The Style.

Taking place September 11–13 at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego Bayside, this year’s convention celebrates the 41st anniversary of Jem and the Holograms. But JemCon is about more than dolls, costumes and nostalgia. For many fans, it is about finally finding the people who understood why the show mattered so much in the first place.

Nicholas Romero, one of this year’s outrageous hosts, has been a Jem fan since 1985. Originally from Aurora, Colorado, he grew up with Jem and Transformers, but it was Jem’s music, imagery and larger-than-life characters that stayed with him. His devotion is anything but casual—Romero is even the proud owner of one of the world’s only Stingers tattoos, a tribute to the Misfits guitarist Riot, whom he describes simply as “my everything.”

For Romero, Jem was especially meaningful as a young gay man growing up in conservative Colorado. “Being able to change your identity and be someone more than yourself really meant so much,” he recalls. “I knew I wanted to hide who I was. If I would have had those Jem star earrings I would’ve been an outrageous pop star!”

That feeling of possibility is at the heart of why Jem continues to resonate with queer fans decades later. The show was filled with characters who embraced fashion, music, transformation, and self-expression. Jerrica Benton could become Jem with the help of Synergy, stepping into a larger, bolder version of herself. For kids who were struggling to understand their own identities, that transformation could feel surprisingly familiar.

“Think about what the show actually was underneath the glitter,” says Roxy Tart, the co-host and operational lead for JemCon 2026. “Jerrica Benton was living a double life, hiding a part of herself that was loud and bold and unapologetically extra, only letting it out when she felt safe enough to be truly outrageous.”

Tart’s connection to Jem runs deep. She is a founding member of the Jemtourage, co-admins one of the largest Jem fan communities online, and even appeared in the 2015 live-action Jem and the Holograms film. Now she is helping create the kind of convention she dreamed about as a child. “Jem has basically been my whole personality since I was a kid staring at the screen thinking, ‘I want THAT life,’ glamour, glitter, a talking hologram computer best friend, all of it,” she says.

JemCon itself grew directly from that fandom. Founded by Elizabeth Pemberton 21 years ago, the convention began as a gathering for people who simply refused to let their love for the series disappear. Over the years, it has traveled to 14 states and three countries. It remains volunteer-run, powered by fans who give their time because they believe in the community they have created.

And this year, San Diego gets its turn.

JemCon 2026 is bringing an impressive lineup of guests, including Samantha Newark and Britta Phillips, the speaking and singing voices of Jem; Townsend Coleman, the voice of Riot; Bettina Bush; Hasbro and Loyal Subjects toy designers; original series composers; and more. The weekend will also introduce the Rock Fashion Runway Competition, a first for JemCon that will put real people and handmade fashions on the runway.

There will be a Cosplay Pageant, new photo opportunities, panels—including the first-ever “Men of Jem” panel—and a drag show at Urban Mo’s featuring Morgan McMichaels alongside longtime JemCon host Belle Pepper. A charity auction will benefit The San Diego LGBT Community Center, while a new museum exhibit, Jem: Then, Now, and Always, will showcase rare and never-before-seen pieces loaned by members of the fan community.

And, naturally, there is something being kept under wraps.

Romero promises that one big surprise will finally be revealed during the fashion show. “It’s very hush hush,” he says. “But everyone will know what we have been hiding when they come to the fashion show!”

For Romero, however, the most important part of JemCon isn’t the celebrity guests or the rare collectibles. It is the feeling of walking through the doors and realizing you are surrounded by people who understand.

“My people are there. My family is there,” he says. “And I leave a part of my heart with them every time I leave.”

That sense of belonging may be the real magic behind JemCon. Romero says that from his first convention in 2022, he has never felt more accepted. “The WORD is Acceptance,” he says.

For Tart, there is another word that captures the spirit of JemCon: “Outrageous.” Not simply loud or extravagant, but unapologetically yourself. “If JemCon does its job right, people leave a little more outrageous than they came in,” she says.

And maybe that is exactly what Jem has been teaching fans all along: you don’t have to shrink yourself to fit in. Sometimes you just need to turn up the music, find your people, and be truly outrageous.