Fall Out Boy was formed in 2001 in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois by friends Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman. Trohman met Patrick Stump, then a drummer for grindcore band Xgrinding processX and a host of other bands that "never really managed", at a Borders bookstore in Wilmette. While discussing Neurosis with a friend, Stump interrupted the conversation to correct their classification of the band in a conversation that soon shifted to the new band. The band's debut album, Take This to Your Grave, was issued by Fueled by Ramen in May 2003. Previously, one of the band's earliest recordings, Evening Out with Your Girlfriend, had not seen release until shortly before Grave in March 2003, when the band had gained considerable momentum. "Our record was something being rushed out to help generate some interest, but that interest was building before we could even get the record out", said Sean Muttaqi.
In early 2007, the group released its third studio album, Infinity on High, which was the band's second release on major label Island. The album marked a departure in Fall Out Boy's sound in which the band implemented a diverse array of musical styles including funk, R&B, and flamenco. This charting was first started with lead single "The Carpal Tunnel of Love", with minor success on the Billboard charts. This success was bolstered by the further-successful second single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which reached No. 2 in both the US and UK as well as the top five in many other countries. On the band's decision to pick the song as a single, Wentz commented "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message." "Thnks fr th Mmrs", the third single, peaked just outside the top 10 at No. 11 on the strength of sales and popular radio play, and went on to sell over two million copies in the US.
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The group went through a succession of drummers before landing Hurley and recording the group's debut album, Take This to Your Grave (2003). The album became an underground success and helped the band gain a dedicated fanbase through heavy touring, as well as some moderate commercial success. Take This to Your Grave has commonly been cited as an influential blueprint for pop punk music in the 2000s.
With Wentz as the band's lyricist and Stump as the primary composer, the band's 2005 major-label breakthrough, From Under the Cork Tree, produced two hit singles, "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "Dance, Dance", and went double platinum, transforming the group into superstars and making Wentz a celebrity and tabloid fixture. Fall Out Boy received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
The band suffered a setback, however, when Wentz had an emotional breakdown in February 2005, culminating in a suicide attempt.
"From Under the Cork Tree" debuted and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 upon its May 2005 release. It was spearheaded by the band's breakthrough single, "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", reached number eight in the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 2005, and in the UK chart in February 2006, crossing over from Alternative to Pop radio. "Dance, Dance", the album's second single, also was a top ten hit in the United States and was certified 3x Platinum in 2014. Two weeks before recording sessions began, the group abandoned ten songs and wrote eight more, including the album's first single, "Sugar, We're Goin Down". The album earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and has sold over 2.7 million copies in the United States, becoming the group's best-selling album.
Folie à Deux, released in December 2008, did not perform as well commercially as its predecessor, Infinity on High. It debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 150,000 copies during a highly competitive week with other big debuts, becoming Fall Out Boy's third consecutive top ten album.
While specifically denying that the group's announcement was a reunion because "[the group had] never broke[n] up", the band announced a reunion tour and details of Save Rock and Roll on February 4, 2013.
On November 24, 2014, the title of Fall Out Boy's sixth studio album was announced as American Beauty/American Psycho; the album was released on January 20, 2015.
On April 27, 2017, Fall Out Boy announced that their new album was set to be released on September 15, titled Mania, stylized as M A N I A. The first single, "Young and Menace", was released the same day.