Two years after the events of Pitch Perfect 2, Emily Junk's still leading the Barden Bellas to major, prestigious victories. Chloe Beale's stuck around as the self-proclaimed team event and promotion(s)/merchandising manager, but the rest of the class of 2015's spread throughout the world.
Beca's in L.A., and although she's living in a crappy-chic apartment (with Amy Schumer as a wannabe professional singer roommate, just because), she feels she's living the dream. Her career's coming together, and she's being paid to perform in major venues on a regular basis. But things with Jesse have gotten complicated. The two of them haven't spoken in over a year. Meanwhile, Fat Amy's launched a political campaign in Australia, running mostly on her promise to legalize both gay marriage and marijuana immediately upon instatement. Stacie's a soccer mom with a bob cut (and with four, like, ten year old kids, inexplicably) Lilly's struggling greatly with being a waitress in New York City (what with her quietness). Cynthia-Rose is happily married in New England, where she's found she fits in extremely well. However, it seems suspiciously likely to all but her that her wife might not be a lesbian (in the reversal on the "husband's obviously closeted gay" trope), as she's rather frankly, though non-desperately, sexually aggressive around men. "Flo" actually went on to become a hotshot Miami lawyer after college, and is later on shocked to discover how little studying her fellow Bellas did in school.
"Ashica", what most characters have taken to jointly calling former Bellas Jessica and Ashley, who've risen together through the collegiate a cappella board ranks in just two years through sheer punctuality, attendance, and capacity, and now they want revenge against the group they feel cheated them of a significant experience (they've compiled a stunning list of minor slights against the two of them, from their being absent from the Bellas' group photo, to them both being given themselves for White Elephant, and no one noticing.
Emily, in over her head as medical school looms ahead, calls on the former Bellas, They reunite, and sing a slowed-down version of "Flashlight" in the front room of their sorority house. Beca's arrived last (of course), held up by a horrible Louisiana storm as she arrives which terrorizes the gathered Bellas back at home. Finally, as she arrives to a house with no power, she steps through the doors, and it doesn't seem at first as though anyone's home, although the front door was unlocked. As it's dark in the room, she sings out, the curve the spookiness, "When tomorrow comes, I'll be on my own… feelin' frightened of the world that I don't know…"
Suddenly, Chloe, holding a candle, joins in, having just appeared in the front room of the house. More of the original girls stream in one by one, until the newbies take on the (subdued) chorus part above. Beca, "Patricia" (it's been recommended she use this name if she has interest in a political career), Chloe, Stacie, Cynthia-Rose, Lilly, and Flo have to deal with the oddness of being reunited after two years apart. In some ways it's been a blink, in others a lifetime.
Soon after, the newbies are fully introduced, each with their own distinctive, bizarre quirk, including Fat Jose, a hyper-polite, overweight transgender freshman girl, and huge Fat Amy fan (she considers herself a "Little Amy"). Jenea, a hippie whose hair completely obscures her, Cousin It-style (although hers are hipster glasses), indistinguishable triplets who may be woodland fairies, and a lesbian Muslim physically disabled girl who's also a star athlete for the school.
The old friends reconnect as they make new connections, and the Bellas circa 2017 are thrilled to be in the company of some of their most well-regarded predecessors. Beca's new vinyl album's coming out soon so she won't be in town long. Plus, Jesse's around, because Ashica's also going after the Trebel-tones. The Bellas feel the special burn of the threat to the future of their existence coming somewhat from within.
In order to drum up support, Ashica assembles a list of former Bellas who feel they were bullied at some point during their Bella careers, and by their aca-sisters no less. Emily's own mother confesses to have never been given the solo she dreamed about. According to Ashica, the Barden Bellas is an organization that has pitted women against one another for decades as they've been pranced and paraded before a bunch of judges.
Chloe wonders if everything she loves may be corrupt. Shockingly, Fat Amy discovers she won her Australian election, despite not having paid her campaign a lick of attention in weeks. She wonders if this gives her the power to override Ashica's decision. It doesn't. She decides, then, to decline the position. Stacie's too-old eldest son also happens to have the hots for Amy, but he's encouraged to be classy, feminist, and undouchey by Bumper, her newly-Austrlian (with fresh accent and all) domestic partner-in-grime. Playing Cyrano de Bergerac to a crushing fourteen year-old, Bumper inadvertently fuels Fat Amy's increasing fear that her true soul mate's pubescent.
Everything's gone great for Beca career-wise for awhile. The right people have liked her. She's produced an album, and worked with great people. She's probably even touring in the spring, which is more than she ever could have imagined, but everything she hoped for. Although she considers herself humble and makes a concerted effort to appear down-to-earth (downplaying aspects of her recent experiences to humorous effect), her arrogance shines through at key moments, and as she's brattily heading off to the airport for her album launch, she has a rug pulled out from under her; no album. It's the nature of the business, these things happen, better luck next time. Beca had been so sure she was the next big thing in music.
Cynthia-Rose, who's a music teacher now, knows something's wrong in her marriage… she just doesn't know what. She's passionately in love with her wife. The matter might just be that her wife is falsely claiming to be attracted to women. She claims that growing up as the middle child in Berkeley, what else was she supposed to say? Cynthia-Rose initiates a divorce. She's devastated. The group rallies behind her in her time of need, as expected, and it helps somewhat, but Cynthia-Rose ultimately tries to commit suicide. As she heals afterward, the Bellas are forced to come together like never before.
Meanwhile, Ashley and Jessica come forward… they're being paid off. They can't take it any longer. They're in with the mob, but once a Bella, always a Bella. They don't know, however, who's been instructing them. The person's remained anonymous. In desperation, they decide to utilize the list they've constructed, and to form they're own underground a cappella group, an anti-Bellas… the Hell's Bellas, made up of jaded former Bellas, and led by a masked villain (deadmau5-style masked).
Jenea's soon seduced by the Hell's Bellas, and decides to join them. In a move which floors everyone, Chloe does as well, claiming she's given everything she can to the Bellas, and the world just treats her like a loser for her (this has been set up throughout the movie, with everyone, ESPECIALLY Beca, being condescending to Chloe about her decision to stay so involved). Stacie's gone back to being miserable in her soccer mom life. Remembering Cynthia-Rose is in the hospital (recovering. and singing with the old patients), Stacie decides to go to her, realizing finally she may have loved Cynthia all along. Her kids also way prefer Cynthia-Rose to their dad. Lastly, Patricia's off running the Australian government (this is before she becomes exhausted within minutes and quits).
Beca, humbled by her album's cancelation, comes home to an empty house again. But her singing doesn't bring her friends out this time. It's just the new girls, left with little idea of what to do as the big stress competition approaches (Bellas against Hell's Bellas, for the existence of the former as an organization supported by Barden University. She calls Aubrey, who tells her to look to Emily. Beca does, and along with Emily, realizes it's time for her to be a leader again. It's up to her to pull everyone together once again, and save the day through song (gag?). The disabled Muslim girl's met an interesting older woman, but discovers the girl's a Hell's Bella. The two are separated by devotion to their teams. The older girl has a story explaining her alignment. She was rejected and bullied by the Bellas. She thinks they shouldn't go on. The Muslim girl asserts that while the Bellas might have once discriminated based on certain factors, especially physical appearance, they've moved on from those ways. They're a family of misfits, and they should be supporting one another, not trying to tear each other apart.
Chloe can't handle the disorganization of the Hell's Bellas and threatens to quit, but they offer to allow her to whip them into shape. Feeling needed for the first time in too long, Chloe goes along with it, and she and Beca jointly coach their teams toward perfection. When Beca stumbles upon the specially designed prep sheets Chloe compiled for each of the Bellas, Beca is touched by her friend's deep sense of her fellow Bellas.
Throughout the movie, collegiate a cappella commentators Gail and John have been acknowledging the difficultly in upping the stakes each year with televised a cappella, and they're desperate lengths they're having to go to keep people interested. Celebrities, new songs, fresh locations, fresh faces, and an element of danger to every performance (John's now calling it ahh-capella). They decide, because why the hell not, to commentate a Baton Rouge metro area broadcast of the Bellas vs. the Hells Bellas, especially since the two have grown fond of the girls over the years.
Seeking inspiration, Beca decides to meet up with Jesse. The two of them go to one of the places where they first hung on in movie #1, and Beca kisses Jesse before revealing that her album's just been delayed. She's accepted anything can happen, but things are looking up. The competition's hours away and Beca reaches out to Chloe once again, to no avail. Amy's back for good (banned from Australia), Cynthia and Stacie are planning a wedding, and Flo's back to lawyering. She's put together a rock-solid legal defense against "Ashica's" proposal, as well.
The street competition a cappella showdown begins (a riff-off as a grand standoff). At every opportunity, the Bellas sing of their love for Chloe, and how they miss her, trying to lure her back. She's overwhelmed by the outpouring of admiration, and abandons the Hell's Bellas.
The two groups riff-off more intensely, getting into each other's personal spaces almost as though in a physical battle. The villain who's behind the manipulating of "Ashica" into trying to take down the Bellas is revealed; it was Bologna Barb, the whole time.
A lot of the movie's also been flashbacks to the girls' years at school. Sophomore and junior, specifically. The crazy adventures, the auditions, etc. The movie opens even with one such flashback, to Amy being late for class, and performing in exchange for forgiveness.
Chloe and Beca's friendship is restored, and Chloe promises never to betray the Bellas again for as long as she lives. Beca promises that they'll love her even if she breaks the promise. Fat Amy's a happily married woman with a storied career. She's considering moving on, Mary Poppins-style. But first, the cafeteria's serving fried chicken. Cynthia-Rose and Stacie are happy as all get out with their kids, who tell their parents everything and want to hang out with them. Beca and Jesse, whose mind's been blown by her debut album, leave for L.A., together.
Along the way, they stop at Beca's childhood home, and meet her mom.
Emily, who's sidelined in this movie, takes on a much larger role in movie 4.
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