The American musical duo Twenty One Pilots was founded in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. The group started as a trio with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tyler Joseph, bassist Nick Thomas, and drummer Chris Salih. By 2011, the band transitioned into the duo we know today when drummer Josh Dun joined Joseph. The band quickly built a massive grassroots following in the Midwest through relentless touring before signing with Fueled by Ramen in 2012. Their major-label debut, *Vessel* (2013), and the subsequent global smash, *Blurryface* (2015), propelled them to international stardom with hits like “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” establishing them as a dominant force in modern alternative music.
Twenty One Pilots is celebrated for a distinctive, genre-blending sound that resists simple classification. Their music is a fluid mix of Alternative Rock, Electropop, Alternative Hip-Hop, Pop Rap, and Indie Pop/Rock, often incorporating elements like ukulele, reggae, piano, and intense live drumming. Tyler Joseph’s songwriting features a dynamic range, moving seamlessly between introspective rap and explosive rock choruses. Lyrically, their songs are renowned for their depth and candor, openly addressing themes of mental health, anxiety, depression, faith, and the struggle for purpose, a factor that has fostered an exceptionally deep, personal connection with their fanbase.
The duo has received major critical and commercial recognition, including a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2017 for the single “Stressed Out.” They are one of the few artists in history to have multiple songs certified Diamond by the RIAA (for over 10 million units sold), with “Stressed Out” and “Heathens” both achieving the status. Chart-wise, their album *Blurryface* made a Guinness World Record by being the first album in the digital era to have every single track certified Gold or Platinum, a feat their 2013 album *Vessel* later repeated. The band is also known for the extensive, symbolic narrative they weave through their albums, dubbed “The Lore,” which focuses on a fictional city called Dema, a powerful metaphor for internal confinement and mental struggle. This shared mythology and the use of the symbol “|-/ ” alongside the phrase “Stay Alive” has made their fanbase, the “Skeleton Clique,” one of the most dedicated communities in music.
