Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993 that wrote the blueprint for second-wave emo. Clarity (1999) is the cult classic; the self-financed Bleed American (2001) and its inescapable single The Middle made them one of alternative rock's most durable bands. Explore Jimmy Eat World vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Jimmy Eat World formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993 when the band members were in high school. They signed with Capitol Records for their major-label debut Static Prevails (1996) and continued with Clarity (1999), both critical and underground successes (especially Clarity) but neither a commercial breakthrough. After being dropped by Capitol, they self-financed and self-released the recordings that became Bleed American (2001) on DreamWorks Records, with the single The Middle becoming a international hit. The band has continued releasing material across multiple decades alongside extensive Adkins solo work.
Jimmy Eat World's sound combines emo, alternative rock, pop punk, indie rock, and power pop with Adkins's distinctive vocal delivery, intricate twin guitar work, and lyrical content addressing relationships, personal experience, and emotional vulnerability. Their work has been a defining template for second-wave emo and contemporary alternative rock.
Capitol, DreamWorks, and RCA pressings of the Jimmy Eat World catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions. Multiple anniversary editions of Clarity and Bleed American have been released.
Listeners new to Jimmy Eat World typically start with Bleed American (2001) or Clarity (1999).
