The Used

In the post-hardcore landscape of the early 2000s, the Used arose from Utah as a band channeling the struggles of the afflicted through a blend of raw aggression and candid emotional exposure. Their self-titled platinum debut from 2002 quickly gained traction via radio and MTV exposure, propelled by the singles "The Taste of Ink," "Buried Myself Alive," and "Blue and Yellow." Increased touring momentum carried them to a commercial summit with the platinum-certified In Love and Death in 2004 and the follow-up Lies for the Liars in 2007. Although they sustained a presence in the Top 20 and earned ongoing respect within their scene, later releases reached fewer listeners beyond their loyal supporters. Sonic development and personal growth across the lineup produced standout efforts such as The Canyon in 2017, Heartwork in 2020, and the paired releases Toxic Positivity and Medz.

Overcoming poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, and the conservative climate of Orem, Utah, the members forged their screamo-inflected post-hardcore style and secured a deal with Reprise Records, issuing the self-titled debut in June 2002. That album became their breakthrough, achieving platinum status on the strength of those three singles. Having performed only a few local shows beforehand, vocalist Bert McCracken, guitarist Quinn Allman, bassist Jeph Howard, and drummer Branden Steineckert launched an intensive national touring campaign that rapidly expanded their audience, moving from clubs to major packages such as the Warped Tour, Ozzfest, and Projekt Revolution with Linkin Park and Snoop Dogg. In summer 2003 they released the platinum compilation Maybe Memories, which gathered unreleased tracks, live recordings, and documentary footage.

Their second studio album, In Love and Death, arrived in September 2004 and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, elevating their profile further. The tracks "Take It Away" and "All That I've Got" reached the Top Ten on the U.S. Rock chart, and the album earned platinum certification. Around the same period they collaborated with My Chemical Romance on a cover of Queen's "Under Pressure" to aid victims of the December 2004 tsunami. McCracken also contributed vocals to the punk percussion ensemble Street Drum Corps. Creative differences prompted Steineckert's departure in early fall 2006; he later joined Rancid.

The live CD/DVD Berth surfaced in February 2007 as a stopgap before Lies for the Liars appeared in May. Drummer Dan Whitesides, who had not played on the record, became an official member in time for the ensuing tour. Artwork, their fourth full-length and first with producer Matt Squire, was issued on Reprise in 2009. Vulnerable, the fifth studio set and debut on Hopeless, followed in 2012 behind the single "I Come Alive" and was reissued the next year as Vulnerable (II) with additional B-sides, remixes, and acoustic versions. Imaginary Enemy arrived in 2014.

Allman and the band parted amicably in 2015, with former Saosin guitarist Justin Shekoski stepping in ahead of a 15th-anniversary tour that featured two full performances per city covering their first two albums. The acoustic show recorded at the Palace in Los Angeles in October 2015 was released as Live and Acoustic at the Palace in April 2016, augmented by string quartet, harpist, pianist, and gospel choir. The Canyon, their seventh studio album, emerged in late 2017; the widely praised record reflected stylistic growth partly sparked by the loss of a close friend of McCracken's. After touring concluded, Shekoski exited, and work began on the next project.

Heartwork, issued in 2020 and produced by John Feldmann, revisited the spirit of their early catalog while marking another advance; it introduced guitarist Joey Bradford and included appearances by Jason Aalon Butler of Fever 333, blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, and Beartooth's Caleb Shomo. In 2022 the group unveiled the combative single "Fuck You" ahead of their ninth album. "People Are Vomit" followed in early 2023, with Toxic Positivity arriving that May. Retaining surplus material from those sessions, they released Medz in 2024.