The early formation of Papa Roach occurred in January of 1993, where Jacoby Shaddix (vocals) and Dave Buckner (drums) met on the Vacaville High School football field, where the two ended up talking about music. They were later joined by Will James (bass) and Ben Luther (trombone), completing Papa Roach’s first ever line-up. They decided to enter in the school's talent show, where they performed a cover version of Jimi Hendrix's famous song, "Fire". However, the performance was most notable for the fact they played without a guitarist. They ultimately didn't win the contest.

In March 1993, Ben Luther was replaced by Jerry Horton (guitar) from nearby Vanden High School. Jerry was introduced to the band through his girlfriend, who was a fan. At first, Jerry was apprehensive about joining because Jacoby, Dave and Will each went to a different high school. By this point in time, Papa Roach were practicing everyday and pursuing the local scene trying to secure any gig they could come across.
Papa Roach's first ever release, Potatoes for Christmas (1994)
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Papa Roach's first ever release, Potatoes for Christmas (1994)

In 1994, Papa Roach recorded their first 7 track EP titled Potatoes For Christmas. David Buckner was temporarily replaced by Ryan Brown, as Buckner was spending the year in Seattle studying art.

In 1995, they recorded a 2 track promo at Sound Farm Studios titled Caca Bonita. By this time Dave Buckner was back on drums. In order to keep progressing as a band, further changes had to be made. Will James, who had become heavily involved in a church summer camp, was replaced by Tobin Esperance, due to the fact it would limit the band from practicing and touring over the summer. As Tobin had been with the band the whole time as a roadie, the transition was an easy one.

In 1997, the band produced their first full-length album titled Old Friends from Young Years. Still touring heavily, they supported bands such as Incubus, Powerman 5000 and Static-X.

In 1998, they released another 5 track EP titled 5 Tracks Deep. It sold over 1,000 copies in its first month of release. Its success caught the attention of Warner Brothers, who financed the production of a 5 track promo/demo CD. The disc included the songs "Last Resort", "Broken Home" and "She Loves Me Not" - of which the first two would later feature on their Infest album, and the third on lovehatetragedy. In the end, Warner Brothers elected not to sign them.
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In 1999, they produced another EP, which would end up being their last, titled Let 'Em Know. This was seen to be Papa Roach's best independent effort as a band, highlighting their improved and matured sound. Soon after, Shaddix was contacted by Dreamworks Records offering the band a recording contract. After this, Papa Roach would skyrocket in to the mainstream on the back of their major label debut album titled Infest and the hit single, "Last Resort".

After signing to Dreamworks Records in October of 1999, they immediately hit the studio to record their debut major-label album, titled "Infest". The album included four old songs, which were re-recorded and re-mastered, and an additional seven newly written songs. Infest was released in the United States on April 25, 2000, and sold a solid 30,000 copies in its first week of release. With their debut album released, and the music video for "Last Resort" recorded, they hit the Vans Warped Tour and numerous other large tours. In late 2000, they even toured the United Kingdom, highlighting how quickly their popularity had spread worldwide. In 2001, the band toured Ozzfest, where they performed on the prestigious main stage, on both the US and UK tours.

After enormous amounts of touring worldwide, most notably in the US, UK and Japan, the band hit the studio again to record their sophomore effort, titled "lovehatetragedy", in which a meagre 60 days were spent to record the album. The album was released in the United States on June 18, 2002, and though it didn't outsell "Infest", it managed to chart higher in both the US and UK album charts.

In late 2003, Papa Roach hit the studio again to write and record their 3rd major album, which was tenatively titled, "Dancing In the Ashes". However the name was soon to be replaced by "Getting Away With Murder". The band worked with well-recognized producer Howard Benson, writing such songs as "Take Me" and "Scars". After completion, the band filmed the video for the title track, "Getting Away With Murder", and went on a small summer club tour to warm-up for the new album and touring. Some long time fans of the band critisised "Getting Away With Murder" for its softer sound, compared to their previous albums. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix said the following in an interview with the Dallas Music Guide regarding the band no longer using "rap style" vocals in their music: "...the rapping's gone! I don't feel like rapping. I'm just over that...I just want to be a rocker. It's what I wanted to be when I was a kid". Regardless of the perceived backlash, "Getting Away With Murder" has outsold "lovehatetragedy", mainly due to the enormous popularity of the album's second single, "Scars". The album has sold more than 1 million copies and has been certified platinum in the USA. In 2005, the band was continuously touring. This included a full United States and European tour alongside bands such as Dead Poetic, Trust Company, Chronic Future, Skindred, 311 and Unwritten Law.

At the end of 2005 they went back into a special studio called The Paramour Mansion to record their 4th major label album during their 5 months stay there. The album is out September 12 2006 everywhere.