Their 2003 breakthrough disc Take This to Your Grave was an underground hit in pop-punk circles, as this sharp, funny, and - yes - even witty breakup album gnashed its teeth with a fury that few emo-rock acts could compete with.
On the other hand, however, Fall Out Boy’s existence wasn’t without merit. In any other year, FOB’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” (featuring John Mayer on guitar) would be subject to much ridicule amidst “serious” music publications, but with Wentz becoming the newest member of the Simpson family, nasal singer Patrick Stump throwing himself into remix work, and guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley curiously left at the sidelines, few people outside of their massive fan base took much notice and even fewer people genuinely cared. Nude pictures of Wentz surfaced online prior to Infinity (which was parodied in the video for lead single “ This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race“), the band’s Decaydance imprint was taking off in the light of the success of signees like Panic! At the Disco (who have since dropped the exclamation point) and the Gym Class Heroes, and there was Wentz’s flash-bang marriage to pop starlet Ashlee Simpson, leading to his strange, paparazzi-baiting behavior in its wake (like wearing a paper-plate over his face in public). That’s largely because Wentz didn’t shy away from the spotlight when it came ’round his way, but rather outright embraced it. Prior to the release of 2007’s Infinity on High, bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz was quickly becoming a tabloid sensation in his own right, his name soon becoming synonymous with the phrase “media whore”. On one hand, Fall Out Boy’s music was fast-becoming the least-interesting part of the group. Though Fall Out Boy were the central focus of the issue, AP actually produced two versions of the cover: one which said “Fall Out Boy Rule!” and the other, aptly, declaring that “Fall Out Boy Sucks!” What this signified is how even in the pop-punk community, no group was more polarizing than this Illinois-bred emo four-piece. Perhaps Fall Out Boy’s predicament can best be illustrated by the Alternative Press issue that appeared the month preceding Folie a Deux‘s release.