Band members Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andrew Hurley, and Joe Trohman first came together in 2001 to form Fall Out Boy.

They debuted with a self-released demo in 2001, following it up in May 2002 with a split LP issued on the Uprising label. The band remained with the label for the release of a mini-LP, Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out with Your Girl, but soon after signed a deal with Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Fiorello’s label, Fueled by Ramen, while also receiving an advance from Island Records to record a proper debut album.

Take This to Your Grave was released in 2003 and two years later their breakout album From Under the Cork Tree debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two Top Ten hits with "Sugar We're Going Down" and "Dance, Dance." The album went double platinum and earned the musicians a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Their second major label album, Infinity on High, also had a successful debut week, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 and going platinum one month later. Released shortly after in early 2008, the CD/DVD Live in Phoneix documented the band's strength as a flashy live act, while Folie a Deux followed later that year.