Panic! at the Disco

The most theatrical outfit to emerge from the emo-punk movement, the ever-changing Panic! at the Disco evolved into a musically adventurous one-man band fronted by stylish showman Brendon Urie. The group was formed in 2004 by guitarist Ryan Ross and drummer Spencer Smith, two childhood friends from Summerlin, Las Vegas, with bassist Brent Wilson and vocalist Brendon Urie completing the line-up shortly after. Initially a Blink-182 covers band, Panic! at the Disco then caught the attention of Fall Out Boy guitarist Pete Wentz with three original songs posted online, who subsequently offered them a deal with his Fueled by Ramen imprint Decaydance Records, despite the fact they had yet to play a live show. The group then justified Wentz's leap of faith when 2005's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, gradually climbed up the Billboard 200 to a peak of No. 13, eventually shifting nearly two million copies in the US alone and spawning a Top 10 hit and MTV VMA winner in the shape of "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies." After Wilson left in acrimonious circumstances, the band embarked on the elaborate "Nothing Rhymes with Circus" Tour, briefly dropped the exclamation mark from their name and showcased a psychedelic pop sound inspired by The Beatles and Beach Boys on 2008 sophomore Pretty. Odd. This move away from the band's rock roots resulted in founding member Ross' departure, but after recruiting Dallon Weekes as his replacement, PATD bounced back with a third straight US Top 10 album, 2011's typically experimental Vices and Virtues, and joined fun. on a sell-out North American trek. 2013's 'party record,' Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, continued their impressive run, but its success was tarnished by a substance abuse issue that eventually forced Smith to quit. Panic! at the Disco were essentially reduced to a one-man band when Weekes also left in 2015, but Urie took full advantage of this new-found creative freedom a year later with Death of a Bachelor, a highly eclectic 'mix between Sinatra and Queen' which gave them their first ever number one on the Billboard 200.