Behind the Band Name: Fall Out Boy

In the 1990s, Radioactive Man was introduced on the long-running animated series The Simpsons. A movie starring the famous comic book hero was being filmed in Springfield and Bart Simpson’s friend, Millhouse Van Houten, auditioned and was chosen to play the role of Radioactive Man’s sidekick Fallout Boy.

Several years later, when bassist Pete Wentz and guitarist Joe Trohman were forming a new band, they were reserved to booking shows as “Pete’s New Band,” until something better came along.

Fallout Boy

In 2001, the name Fall Out Boy was chosen after the band asked the crowd, during their second show together, what they should be called and someone yelled “Fallout Boy.” The name immediately stuck,

Though the band liked the name, they had no idea at the time that it was referencing a Simpsons character at first.

Bongo Comics

Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy originally made their first appearance in the real comic book series published by Bongo Comics, in 1994. Co-founded by Simpsons creator Matt Groening in 1993, the short-lived comic series featured stories centered around the Simpson family and other characters from the show. The comic printed its final issue, Simpsons Comics #245, in 2018.

Fall Out Boy Today

Over the past 20 years, Fall Out Boy has released seven albums together, from Take This to Your Grave in 2003 through their 2018 release, Mania, which picked up a Grammy nod for Best Rock Album. The band currently consists of founding members Wentz, vocalist Patrick Stump, guitarist Joe Trohman and longtime drummer Andy Hurley.

The band has been instrumental to the careers of other bands like Panic! at the Disco, who were signed to Wentz’s Decaydance Records in 2004.

Fall Out Boy’s 2005 breakthrough album, From Under the Cork Tree produced the hit singles, “Dance, Dance” and “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” and earned the band a Best New Artist Grammy nomination. Their third album, Infinity on High debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with hits “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and singles, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.”

After a brief hiatus, Fall Out Boy’s fifth album, Save Rock and Roll, in 2013 was their second album to reach No. 1.

Photo: Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Live Nation