Jawbreaker formed in New York City in 1986 and relocated to the Bay Area in 1989, laying down one of the templates for second-wave emo and punk rock. 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994) is the classic; Dear You (1995) divided the punk crowd at the time and sounds better every year. Find Jawbreaker vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Jawbreaker formed in New York City in 1986 around Blake Schwarzenbach, Chris Bauermeister, and Adam Pfahler. The trio relocated to the Bay Area in 1989. After three landmark independent albums on Shredder/Tupelo and Communion, they signed with DGC for Dear You (1995) - a major-label move that was controversial in the broader punk community at the time. The band dissolved in 1996 in the wake of Dear You's commercial disappointment. They reunited in 2017 and have toured periodically since. Their work has been widely cited as one of the foundational templates for second-wave emo, with influence on Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Jimmy Eat World, Brand New, and dozens of other emo and pop punk acts. Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form Jets to Brazil. The 2017 documentary Don't Break Down: A Film About Jawbreaker explored their history.
Jawbreaker's sound combines emo, punk rock, post-hardcore, indie rock, and pop punk with Schwarzenbach's distinctive raspy vocal delivery and lyrical content drawing on poetry, literature, and confessional personal narrative. Their work bridges classic 1980s American hardcore with the emerging emo and pop punk movements of the 1990s.
Multiple anniversary editions of 24 Hour Revenge Therapy and Dear You have been released, including the deluxe expanded editions through Blackball Records (Pfahler's reissue label) and Blackball reissues across the catalog.
Listeners new to Jawbreaker typically start with 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994) or Dear You (1995).
