SAN FRANCISCO — For the second day in a row, Portola Festival delivered an enticing lineup of dance, hip-hop and underground acts, even as intermittent light rain and chilly weather settled in.

Skrillex burned up the Pier Stage, but unlike his experience at a New Zealand festival the previous week, there was no actual fire. The heat came from the turntables and his skill in that arena kept the crowd moving for the duration of his 90-minute set.

Skrillex, who released two albums last spring and promised a couple more, came, saw and conquered. Cathartic bass drops? Check. Grimy U.K. lyricists honoring the genre’s origin? Check. Mashups skillfully mixing up different genres? Double check. He kept the production simple, with DJ booth and his logo in red on the screen behind him, occasionally punctuated by smoke blasts and lyrics splashed across the screen.

He started off by showing how the grimy dubstep from South London grew to be a force dominating electronic dance music. Merging current hip-hop with dubstep beats, Skrillex had attendees dancing and nodding along. He kept the BPM up from the get-go.

“You already know, you already know what’s coming!” he teased before one bass drop for one of his signature screechy dub transitions.

Mixing in some Brazilian and Latin music, he briefly slowed the pace down and the audience slowed down with him to a trance-like state. It was temporary, though.

“Get your hands up one time for the turn up!” he screamed before getting to fan favorite mixes like Travis Scott’s “Wild For The Night” and his collab with Flowdan and Fred Again, “Killers In The Jungle.”

U.K. artist Labrinth preceded Skrillex at the Pier Stage at dusk and brought the dramatics. Wearing a militaristic black outfit, he appeared atop a multileveled dais like a dystopian dictator. Hovering below him were a line of about five similarly dressed singers. Their harmonization made them sound like a huge choir at his beck and call.

Labrinth kicked off with “Lift Off,” making his way down to the stage, and continuing on with “Forever,” “Still Don’t Know My Name,” “All For Us” and “Mount Everest,” featured on TV show “Euphoria.”

If being undeniably fierce were a civic duty, it’s time to thank Tokischa for her service. The Dominican rapper, currently on her Popola Presidente World Tour, turned the Crane Stage into a sensual frenzy. After a video introduction that featured the rapper making a political-esque PSA, she took the stage with four dancers by her side. There was no shortage of grinding, twerking or chair dancing.

Dressed in a black shaggy coat, Tokischa commented on the chilly weather, only to ditch the outerwear and don a bra and black tie. She went on to perform a set that blended hip-hop, trap and dembow. Set highlights included “Linda” (her duet with Rosalía) and  “Delicuente,” during which Tokischa sang from the barricade.

Over at the Warehouse Stage, Charlotte de Witte played one of the final slots of the night. Being indoors, this area felt like a vastly different world from the rest of the fest. Getting to de Witte’s set was like entering a trance, as erratic strobes created a hazy line of vision. Fittingly, the Belgian DJ laid out an acid techno soundtrack in which it was easy to get lost.

Coming closer revealed a scene much like an underground rave, with de Witte performing in front of a packed mob. Her setup consisted of at least six decks, which she switched between seamlessly to create an explosive sound. Fan favorites like “Reflection,” “Overdrive” and “The Age of Love” made the song list.

Thundercat hit the Pier Stage at sunset, joined by disco ball-hatted drummer Justin Brown and keyboardist Dennis Hamm. The funky and jazzy bassist performed a few of his hits as well as some new material. He seemed to pay a lot of attention to the quality of his sound, spending long moments lost in a fusion-style solo on his six-stringed bass. The older material included “Dragonball Durag” and “Them Changes.” He concluded with new track with Tame Impala, “No More Lies.”

Earlier in the afternoon, the vibes at Pier Stage were smooth as butter thanks to Little Simz. Dressed in a white button-down and a black tie, the British-Nigerian rapper looked sharp as she emerged in front of a backdrop of shadowy figures. She fittingly opened with “Silhouette,” which infused gospel and neo-soul beats, and heavy-hitting bars about seeing people for who they really are.

As the next few songs leaned into hip-hop, Little Simz never missed a beat with her flow. A band joined her for the latter half of the set, performing anthemic live versions of songs like “Gorilla” and “Selfish.” The rapper expressed her love for San Francisco and managed to squeeze an extra song, “Woman.”

Brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar got the party started early at the Crane Stage. Dressed in a leather one-piece and fishnets, Vittar had amazing choreography, glorious hair flips and a hyper-pop sound. A team of backup dancers joined in and together, Vittar and crew struck power poses for cuts like “Bandida” and “AMEIANOITE.”

Rina Sawayama’s set at the Pier Stage combined performance art and pure pop splendor. Supporting her most recent release, 2022’s Hold The Girl, the British singer explored the album’s heavy motifs through poignant choreography and visuals. With two backup dancers, they would hold each other, then push each other away, matching the volatile memories Sawayama would sing about. The singer donned a flowy white dress that punctuated her expressive movements on the title track. Then in a flash, she changed into jeans and dove into hyperpop favorites like “Dynasty” and “Comme des garçons (Like the Boys).”

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe. Follow photographer Gavin Legaspi at Instagram.com/batang.gabino.