Jimmy Eat World, formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since kindergarten, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to try their hand at music. In its early years, the band emulated the style of its punk-rock influences, with Linton serving as the band's primary singer. Within the span of a couple of years, the band recorded and released three singles and a full-length on local label Wooden Blue Records.

Eventually, spurred by bands such as Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate, the band began to experiment with a sub-genre of the hardcore punk scene called "emocore". As they began writing songs and touring in the indie scene, the band was surprised to find like-minded bands such as Christie Front Drive, Sense Field, and Seven Storey Mountain working on similar sounds.

As the band continued touring, it began to attract modest attention in the indie underground. In 1995, the band caught the ears of a talent scout at Capitol Records and was surprised to find itself being offered a deal shortly thereafter.^[6] Just prior to signing with Capitol, bass player Mitch Porter parted ways with the band and was replaced by Linton's friend Rick Burch. After a brief scouting for producers, the band joined up with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to record its major-label debut, Static Prevails.

In the ensuing years, the band was allowed to release singles on independent labels, including split 7-inch's with Christie Front Drive, Jejune, Sense Field, and Mineral. Where most major-label bands were ostracized from the underground as "sell-outs," Jimmy Eat World found itself in a unique position as a major label band embraced by the indie community.