Waterparks, a next-generation pop-punk trio based in Houston, Texas, took shape during the first half of the 2010s. Two independent EPs helped the group build its audience before the 2016 label debut Double Dare appeared. Successive releases kept the upward trajectory going, with both Fandom in 2019 and Greatest Hits in 2021 reaching the Billboard 200’s upper ranks. After signing to Fueled by Ramen, the band issued Intellectual Property in 2023, an album that included a guest spot from 2022 tour partner Blackbear.
The trio formed in 2011 around Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington, and Otto Wood. Drawing influence from blink-182, Fall Out Boy, and Saves the Day, the members self-released Airplane Conversations in 2012 and Black Light in 2014. They later signed with Albany, New York-based indie Equal Vision. Their first release for the label, the early-2016 EP Cluster, was recorded with producers Benji Madden of Good Charlotte and 5 Seconds of Summer plus Courtney Ballard, whose credits include 5 Seconds of Summer and All Time Low.
After a summer on the Warped Tour, Waterparks delivered their debut full-length, Double Dare, in November 2016. Entertainment followed in 2018, again produced by Benji Madden and featuring the singles “Blonde,” “Lucky People,” and “Not Warriors.” The album opened at number seven on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart. In early 2019 the band moved to Hopeless Records, issuing “Turbulent” and “Dream Boy” ahead of their third album, Fandom. That set reached number 32 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top Alternative Albums chart.
Waterparks then joined the Warner-owned 300 Entertainment for the playfully titled Greatest Hits in 2021. Lead singer Knight produced the album with Zakk Cervini, known for work with Yungblud, 5 Seconds of Summer, and We Are the In Crowd. The release entered the Billboard 200’s top 50 and peaked at number five on the Alternative Albums chart.
Another label shift brought the group to Fueled by Ramen in 2022. Following a run of international dates that included support slots on Blackbear’s Nothing Matters tour, “Funeral Grey” was released as the first single from the fifth album, Intellectual Property, which arrived in 2023. Subsequent tracks included “Self-Sabotage” and the Blackbear collaboration “F*ck About It.”
