Formed 2001 · Newark, New Jersey
The band
Four permanent members, a drum stool that has changed hands more than once, and a seven year gap in the middle of the story.
Gerard Way
Started the band in the weeks after the September 11 attacks, which he watched from a ferry commute into Manhattan. Also the band's art director, and outside MCR a comics writer, most visibly on The Umbrella Academy.
Ray Toro
Responsible for most of the album's guitar architecture, including the layered harmony parts that make the Black Parade material hard to reproduce live with fewer players. Released a solo record in 2016.
Frank Iero
Joined shortly after the band formed, in time for the debut album's release. Has run several projects of his own between and during MCR cycles.
Mikey Way
Gerard's younger brother, and the person who gave the band its name after coming across a book title while working in a bookstore.
The drum stool
Who played drums, and when
| Years | Drummer | Recorded on |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 to 2004 | Matt Pelissier | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love |
| 2004 to 2010 | Bob Bryar | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade |
| 2010 onward | Session and touring players | Danger Days used session drumming rather than a fifth member |
Bob Bryar left the band in 2010 and died in November 2024. He is the drummer on the record the 2026 tour is built around.
Timeline
Twenty five years, roughly
2001 to 2006
Formed in New Jersey, released the debut on the independent label Eyeball Records in 2002, signed to Reprise, then broke through in 2004 with Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge on the back of Helena and I'm Not Okay (I Promise).
2006 to 2010
The Black Parade, then the Black Parade World Tour from February 2007 to May 2008. Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys followed in 2010, a complete tonal reset into colour and desert imagery.
2013 to 2019
The band announced its end in March 2013. Solo records, comics work and other projects filled the years that followed, with a singles series called Conventional Weapons released from the vault.
2019 to now
A reunion was announced at the end of October 2019 and the first show back happened in Los Angeles that December. The pandemic delayed most of what was planned, so the real touring restart came in 2022, the same year the band released a new single called The Foundations of Decay. Everything since has escalated: arena runs, then the 2025 Long Live: The Black Parade stadium tour, then the anniversary year.