The pop-punk genre can be traced back as early as the 1970s, the groundwork for the genre being set by popular 70’s punk bands. The rock fusion genre takes parts of both punk and pop music, defined by fast-paced, energetic tempos, paired with classic pop song structures. It wasn’t until the 1990s and 2000s that the genre really started to pick up, becoming mainstream. One of the main bands responsible for this boom in pop-punk was Paramore. Formed in 2004, the band was one of the most popular female-lead pop-punk bands in the 2000s, standing out against the many other male-lead bands of the time.
Paramore released their debut album, All We Know Is Falling, in 2005 to rave reviews. The album reached number four on the UK Rock Chart and number thirty on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. However, it wasn’t until their second album, Riot!, that the band was solidified as a mainstream success. The album was certified Platinum in the United States, and Paramore was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 2008. The hit single from Riot!, “Misery Business”, is still one of the band’s most popular and well-known songs, showing just how important the album was for the band’s success.
The band released their second-highest-charting album, Brand New Eyes, 2 years later. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200 at the time of release, with 175,000 first-week sales. Then in 2013 they released their self-titled album, which is their highest-charting album to date, being Paramore’s first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. The album’s single “Ain’t It Fun”, also won the band their first Grammy, with the song winning “Best Rock Song” in 2015.
Their next album, After Laughter, was the last album released before their hiatus. Released in 2017, the band went on to tour globally in 2018, before announcing they were taking a break.
As lead vocalist Hailey Williams told New Musical Express regarding the hiatus,
“It was a necessary detour. It was necessary not to be so hung up on being Paramore: it’s all it’s ever been. We were in junior high when we met, and by the time we had gotten out of high school, everyone knew who we were, and the way we related to each other naturally changed.”
Fortunately, this was not the end of Paramore, as the band ended their hiatus from album releases after six years by releasing, This Is Why, in 2023. The album was released to critical acclaim and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album also had 47,000 sales within the first week of release. With the release of the new album, Paramore went on a tour throughout North America, Europe, and Latin America. The tour concluded in November of 2023.
This Is Why was the band’s final studio album under their 20-year contract with Atlantic Records. The band is now a free agent, and this caused them to wipe their social media clean. Speculation about the band’s breakup started after the disappearance of their website and social media, however, thankfully the rumors were false.
On February 4, 2024, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards were held, where Paramore was nominated for “Best Rock Album” and “Best Alternative Music Performance”. The band won the Grammy for “Best Rock Album” for their album This Is Why, making them officially the first female-led band ever to win the award. This is a huge milestone for female singers trying to make their mark on the rock music scene. Speculations about their breakup were officially confirmed false when Paramore came back to Instagram to thank their fans for their support, and to celebrate their Grammy win.
A24, an independent company that specializes in film and television production, announced a Talking Heads tribute album to go with the upcoming concert film Stop Making Sense. Paramore was chosen to cover the Talking Heads song “Burning Down The House”, and be featured as the leading track on the album. On January 31, they released their cover as a single, which is the first thing they’ve released since becoming a free agent.
Paramore’s most recent endeavor is being announced as the ambassador for Record Store Day, 2024. Record Store Day is a yearly event hosted on April 20, 2024, where a successful band, chosen as the ambassador, shines a light on smaller independent record stores across the US. Along with this, these record stores get exclusive vinyls and CDs to sell at their location. These stores will receive an exclusive release of the This Is Why album that includes celebrity remixes of songs from the album.
Moving forward, the band confirmed that they will continue as an independent band after their contract with Atlantic Records ends. The band has not announced any new musical works other than the tribute album, but considering their influence and continuing success, it can be expected they will continue making albums in the future Paramore is undoubtedly one of the most influential bands of the past 20 years. Young women worldwide who are interested in rock music continue to be influenced by Hailey William’s record-breaking work throughout her career.
