Paramore formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 around Hayley Williams, one of the defining voices of the mid-2000s pop punk revival. Riot! (2007) is the breakout, After Laughter (2017) the new wave pivot, and This Is Why won the band's first Grammy — Best Rock Album, 2024. Browse Paramore vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Paramore formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 around Hayley Williams (born December 27, 1988, Meridian, Mississippi), Josh Farro, Zac Farro (Josh's brother), Jeremy Davis, and Jason Bynum. They signed with Fueled by Ramen in 2005 (the same label that signed Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, and other foundational mid-2000s emo acts). Their 2007 album Riot! - featuring the international hit Misery Business - became a commercial breakthrough and established them as foundational figures of the mid-2000s emo and pop punk revival. The band has rotated through lineup changes - Josh Farro and Zac Farro departed in 2010 amid creative tensions with Williams (Zac Farro subsequently returned in 2017); Jeremy Davis departed in 2015. The band has continued releasing material across multiple decades with stylistic exploration - their 2017 album After Laughter marked a creative pivot toward 1980s new wave and synth-pop aesthetics. Their 2023 album This Is Why won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2024 - Paramore's first Grammy win. Williams has parallel solo career (Petals for Armor, 2020; Flowers for Vases / descansos, 2021).
Paramore's sound combines emo, pop punk, alternative rock, pop rock, indie rock, new wave, and synth-pop with Williams's distinctive vocal delivery (multi-octave range and emotional intensity), extensive guitar work, and lyrical content addressing relationships, anxiety, depression, and personal experience. Their stylistic exploration across multi-decade catalog has been.
Fueled by Ramen and Atlantic Records pressings of the Paramore catalog have been issued in extensive color variant editions and elaborate limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Paramore typically start with Riot! (2007) or After Laughter (2017).
