Paramore has been one of my favorite bands for years now. Even though I don’t keep up with the constant drama surrounding them, I practically grew up listening to them and their songs always have always made their way to my many different playlists.
Paramore was one of the biggest pop-rock bands of the 2000s. Formed in 2003 by high schoolers at the time, the band quickly grew into one of the most successful bands of all time. They have sold over seven million albums worldwide, with six million being from the U.S alone, according to BestSellingAlbums.org.
Paramore is also the band behind the song “Decode”, the only good thing about the 2008 Twilight movie. The band has five studio-recorded albums, with a sixth one set to be released in early 2023. Despite the drama, members leaving, and internal conflicts, the band has risen above everything and has managed to curate a pretty good discography. In the spirit of Paramore coming back with a new album next year, I decided to rank their albums (studio only) from my least favorite to my favorite. Of course, there are different opinions regarding Paramore’s best album, but I will rank the albums solely based on my opinion and my preference.
5. After Laughter (2017)
This is definitely their most mature-sounding album. However, it’s my least favorite considering my standards for a Paramore album. I love angsty, angry Paramore. And yes, I understand they aren’t teenagers anymore, Hayley, the lead singer was 29 at the time of this album’s release. There’s nothing wrong with them going for a more mature sound as they are adults. I guess I’m just used to their earlier songs. The pop-synth sound makes this album more digestible to people who might not like the rock-heavy sound. Unfortunately, apart from Hard Times, and Rose-Colored Boy, the songs of this album rarely make it to my playlists.
4. Paramore (2013)
When I was doing a relisten of Paramore’s discography, I initially thought I’d rank this album last. After careful consideration, I realized I like it slightly better than After Laughter. Sure, this is the start of their slow detachment from rock heavy songs, but for some reason, I feel it still sounds like Paramore. I’d say if it weren’t for Still into You, and Ain’t It Fun, I would have probably ranked this album at the same level as After Laughter.
3. All We Know Is Falling (2005)
Now, I’ve seen a few critics call this album “immature”, and some even say “you could tell it was made by a bunch of teenagers.” I agree this is definitely their weakest in terms of production. However, in terms of a debut album, I think this is a very strong body of work. Sure, the band was just starting out, and this album has some of the weaker songs of their discography, but you can tell they had so much potential at the time. Right from the jump, you can hear how much of a strong vocalist Hayley is, and she wasn’t even at her best. Songs like Brighter, Emergency, and Pressure, illustrate that, at their infant stage, Paramore was a force to be reckoned with.
2. Brand New Eyes (2009)
This is Paramore’s third studio album, and it sounds like their debut album and their most recent album had a baby. Okay, that sounds weird but please bear with me. I don’t mean this in a negative way, if I did, I wouldn’t have ranked it so high. What I mean is it has the angst and aggressiveness of All We Know Is Falling, but it also has a sense of maturity that you’ll hear in After Laughter. I feel like this is where you see Paramore really start to come into their own. I love this album and I almost ranked it first, if it wasn’t for a few factors, which I will explain shortly.
- Riot!
This was a tough one. I kept bouncing back and forth between Riot! And Brand-New Eyes and could not for the life of me make up my mind as quickly as I wanted to. Then it finally hit me. Brand New Eyes doesn’t have Fences, Born For This, That’s What You Get, and Misery Business. These are, objectively, four of the best songs of their entire discography. There’s a reason Riot! Is Paramore’s best-selling album, despite being their second studio album. It’s such a solid album and, don’t get me started on Hayley’s vocals. Earlier I mentioned that I love angsty Paramore. This album is as angsty and emo as Paramore can get. I could write a whole thesis on how much I love this album, but I think you get it by now.
As much as I have my favorites and least favorites, I definitely think Paramore’s discography is one of the best to come out of the pop-punk/emo band phenomenon of the 2000s. A lot of people tend to dismiss the band simply because the lead singer is female, but that’s a discussion for another day. If you haven’t listened to Paramore in full yet, and the pop-synth, current radio-friendly sound is to your taste, give After Laughter, and the Paramore album a shot. If the emo, pop/punk rock sound is your taste check out their earlier albums. All in all, I’m excited about their new album and can’t wait to see where their musical direction goes.