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In 2002, at the age of 13, vocalist Hayley Williamsmoved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi to Franklin, Tennessee where she met brothers Josh and Zac Farro while she was attending a private school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning. However, prior to forming Paramore, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a funk cover band called The Factory, while the Farro brothers had practiced together after school. The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them, and it eventually worked out. The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Jeremy Davis (bass) and Hayley Williams(lead vocals) in 2004, with the later addition of Williams' neighbor Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar). According to Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players. Once the group learned the meaning of the homonym paramour ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the Paramore spelling. The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album. Over the following years, Paramore performed at venues outside the greater Nashville area, including the concert festivals Purple Door and Warped Tour. John Janick, CEO and co-founder of the music label Fueled by Ramen, got a hold of Paramore's demos and went to a Taste of Chaos performance in Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. After a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to the label in April 2005.

Paramore traveled back to Orlando, Florida, to record their debut album All We Know Is Falling, but shortly after arriving, Davis left the band, citing personal reasons for doing so. The remaining four members of Paramore continued with the album, writing "All We Know" about his departure, and later deciding to base All We Know Is Falling around the concept. The album artwork also reflected Paramore's grief as Williams explains, "The couch on the cover of All We Know is Falling with no one there and the shadow walking away; it's all about Jeremy leaving us and us feeling like there's an empty space."

Before touring, the band added John Hembree (bass) to their line up to replace Davis. During that summer, Paramore was featured on the Shira Girl stage of the 2005 Warped Tour. After being asked by the band, Davis returned to Paramore after five months apart, replacing Hembree. All We Know Is Falling was released on July 24, 2005, and reached #30 on the Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Paramore released "Pressure" as its first single, with a video directed by Shane Drake, but the song had failed to place on the charts. In July, "Emergency" was released as the second single. The third single, "All We Know", was released with limited airtime.

Paramore's first United States headlining tour began on August 2, 2006 to a sold-out audience with support from This Providence, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Hit the Lights with the final show in Nashville. That year they were voted "Best New Band", and Williams was voted as #2 "Sexiest Female", by readers of the British magazine Kerrang!. In 2007, Paramore was named by British magazine NME as one of ten bands to watch out for in their "New Noise 2007" feature.

Paramore began recording their second album Riot! in January 2007, ending production in March without the guitar of Hunter Lamb (who left the band early in 2007 after getting married). Taylor York, who had been in a band with the Farro brothers before the two met Williams, joined as a replacement for Lamb. After being courted by producers Neal Avron and Howard Benson, Paramore opted to record Riot! with New Jersey producer David Bendeth (Your Vegas, Breaking Benjamin), releasing the album on June 12, 2007. Riot! entered the Billboard 200 at number 20, the UK charts at number 24, and sold 44,000 its first week in the United States. The name Riot! had been chosen because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion", and it was a word that "summed it all up". The first single from the album, released June 21, 2007, "Misery Business", is, according to Williams, "more honest than anything I've ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically."

In June 2007 they were declared by Rolling Stone as "Ones to Watch". Paramore made their 1st Live Television debut on Fuse Networks daily show, The Sauce. The second single from Riot!, "Hallelujah", was released on July 30, 2007.

Paramore was featured on the cover of February 2008 issue of Alternative Press magazine and voted "Best Band Of 2007" by the readers. The band was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards presented on February 10, 2008 but lost to Amy Winehouse

Paramore's song "Decode" is the lead single for the novel-based Twilight film. Another song called "I Caught Myself" is also featured on the film's soundtrack. The band released a live album named The Final Riot! on November 25, 2008. The album includes a bonus DVD with a full concert recorded in Chicago, IL as well as an exclusive behind the scenes documentary. As of the 9th of April 2009, The Final Riot! is certified gold in the United States.

Paramore has completed production of their third, yet to be named, studio album which they plan to release in September 2009. Song titles for the third album include "Ignorance" and "Where The Lines Overlap". Hayley Williamsalso confirmed four other songs to Rock Sound: "The Only Exception", "Misguided Ghosts", "Brick By Boring Brick", and "Feeling Sorry".