Techniques and systems for scoring beacon messages and selectively performing mobile device wake-up on a score are disclosed. Such a technique can include receiving, at a mobile device in a first operational state, a beacon message from a beacon device over a short-range communication link; determining a score based on the beacon message and one or more criteria for causing a transition from the first operational state to a second operational state, the second operational state consumes more energy from a battery of the mobile device than the first operational state; determining whether the score exceeds a threshold for causing the transition; if the score does not exceed the threshold, maintaining the mobile device in the first operational state; and if the score exceeds the threshold, transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state and presenting the beacon message through the mobile device in the second operational state.