The Black Parade was the third studio album by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released in 2006. It was a concept album centred on a dying character, 'The Patient', and his passage through death. The single 'Welcome to the Black Parade' became the band's best-known song and opened with a recognisable piano motif. The record combined emo, punk rock and theatrical, glam-oriented elements in the tradition of rock operas. The Black Parade stood as the group's most influential work and helped shape the sound of a generation.