10 Paramore Songs Loved By Fans

Photo: Drew Stewart, CC BY 2.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our 10 Paramore Songs Loved by Fans list celebrates a band that formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Paramore emerged from the pop-punk and emo scenes of the mid-2000s, but the group’s catalog eventually expanded into alternative rock, new wave, funk, dance-rock, and sharply crafted pop.

Hayley Williams is the only member to appear on every Paramore studio album. The band’s current core lineup consists of Williams on vocals, Taylor York on guitar and keyboards, and founding drummer Zac Farro, who returned to the group during the After Laughter era. Their chemistry helped Paramore evolve without losing the urgency and emotional directness that defined the early records.

Paramore released six studio albums between All We Know Is Falling in 2005 and This Is Why in 2023. The latter won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance. After completing its Atlantic Records agreement, Paramore announced its independence in 2024 and released a version of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” The group later entered another break while Williams pursued solo work, but she emphasized that Paramore had not broken up.

The ranking below preserves ten songs that fans have embraced across different periods of the band’s career, from the raw emotion of the debut album to the restless rhythms of This Is Why.

10 Paramore Songs Loved by Fans

# 10 – crushcrushcrush

“crushcrushcrush” was released as the third single from the 2007 album Riot!. The song demonstrates Paramore’s early ability to build enormous hooks without abandoning tension or aggression. Its verses remain tightly controlled, while the chorus opens into the kind of communal release that quickly became a defining part of the band’s concerts.

The whispered pre-chorus adds an ominous edge before the guitars and drums surge forward again. Even when the arrangement shifts into a more conventional rock breakdown, the contrast between restraint and impact keeps the recording exciting. “crushcrushcrush” may not be the biggest hit from Riot!, but it captures the energy of the album with remarkable clarity.

# 9 – Emergency

“Emergency” is the only Paramore song from the 2005 debut album All We Know Is Falling to appear on this list. The recording begins with a simple guitar pattern and a deep bass pulse before expanding into a forceful pop-punk arrangement.

The stop-and-start accents in the chorus reveal how playful the young band could already be with dynamics. Williams sings about a relationship damaged by emotional neglect, giving the song a darker center than its bright melody initially suggests. “Emergency” remains an essential recording for listeners who discovered Paramore after the band’s international breakthrough.

# 8 – Now

“Now” was the lead single from Paramore’s self-titled fourth album. It introduced the first full studio record made after Josh and Zac Farro left the group in 2010, although Zac would eventually return. Taylor York assumed a larger creative role alongside Hayley Williams, helping the band move beyond the pop-punk framework of its earlier albums.

The song draws from alternative rock, funk, and dance music while retaining a heavy guitar attack. Its repeated vocal refrain functions almost like a dance hook, but the rhythm section and frantic final passage prevent the track from becoming polished pop. “Now” announced that Paramore would treat upheaval as an opportunity for reinvention.

# 7 – Running Out of Time

“Running Out of Time” appeared on Paramore’s 2023 album This Is Why, not Tell Me Why. The song turns chronic lateness and failed good intentions into a wiry piece of dance-rock. Williams performs the verses with comic self-awareness before the chorus transforms her excuses into an irresistible hook.

The music video begins with Williams struggling to write before she is pulled into a surreal world of moving instruments, vivid costumes, and distorted scale. The visual matches the song’s playful anxiety. Beneath the humor, the track recognizes how easily ordinary responsibilities can become overwhelming.

# 6 – Brick by Boring Brick

“Brick by Boring Brick” was released from the 2009 album Brand New Eyes. The song tells the story of someone who retreats into fantasy rather than facing an imperfect reality. Its fairy-tale imagery grows darker as the narrative progresses, while the music balances jagged guitar with a euphoric chorus.

The accompanying video presents a twisted fantasy world that reinforces the song’s warning about escapism. The extended vocal ending provides one of the album’s most memorable communal moments, turning a bleak story into a chant designed for a packed concert hall.

# 5 – The Only Exception

“The Only Exception” revealed a softer side of Paramore on Brand New Eyes. Built around acoustic guitar and a restrained rhythm, the song gives Williams space to sing about allowing herself to believe in lasting love despite the fear and disappointment she has witnessed.

The performance succeeds because Williams sounds vulnerable without becoming detached from the lyric. The arrangement gradually expands but never overwhelms her voice. The song became a major crossover hit and earned Paramore a Grammy nomination.

# 4 – That’s What You Get

“That’s What You Get” was released from Riot! and remains one of Paramore’s most immediate pop-punk singles. The verses move with relative restraint before the chorus explodes around a melody that seems designed to be shouted by an entire audience.

The song’s emotional argument is simple and effective: following the heart can produce consequences that logic might have avoided. Williams delivers the central hook with enough frustration and exhilaration to make the contradiction feel universal.

# 3 – Still Into You

“Still Into You” appeared on the 2013 album Paramore. Like “The Only Exception,” it is a love song, but its mood is bright, energetic, and openly celebratory. The recording replaces much of the band’s earlier guitar weight with new-wave rhythm, handclaps, keyboards, glockenspiel, and tightly controlled pop production.

The call-and-response chorus and colorful arrangement helped the song become one of Paramore’s largest international hits. It also demonstrated that the band’s experiments on the self-titled album could result in accessible pop without sacrificing personality.

# 2 – Misery Business

“Misery Business” was the breakout single from Riot! and became the defining Paramore song for a generation of listeners. Williams races through the verses with confidence before the band delivers one of the most recognizable choruses in 2000s pop-punk.

Williams later criticized the song’s portrayal of another woman and explained that she no longer related to parts of the lyric. Paramore temporarily removed it from regular live sets before bringing it back as an audience-participation centerpiece. That complicated history has not erased the recording’s importance.

The discussion surrounding the song also reflects how Williams’ perspective on women and feminism developed as she grew older. “Misery Business” remains both an anthem and a document of a very specific period in the band’s life.

# 1 – Ignorance

“Ignorance” was the lead single from Brand New Eyes, an album created during a period of serious tension within Paramore. The song channels mistrust, resentment, and the feeling of being treated like a stranger by people who once understood you.

The verses are driven by frantic guitar and clipped vocal phrasing before the chorus releases the accumulated anger. Williams sounds confrontational but remains completely melodic, while Josh Farro and Taylor York create a dense guitar attack around Zac Farro’s forceful drumming.

Paramore has always been especially effective when its music turns conflict into something an audience can sing together. “Ignorance” achieves that balance better than any other song in this ranking.