While Gym Class Heroes are often labeled as hip-hop, they tour with a variety of acts and incorporate the sounds of rap, rock, R&B and more into their sets. They have serious talent but deliver it with a humor that so many other groups are lacking. The band formed, not surprisingly, in gym class. It was there that singer Travis McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley and the two started talking about their visions for hip-hop. They added bassist Ryan Giese and guitarist Milo Bonacci to complete their lineup and released their debut, For the Kids, themselves in 2002.

Gym Class Heroes started touring after the release as well as working on new material. By the time they released The Papercut Chronicles in 2005, the band had been noticed by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and been signed to Decaydance Records. They also replaced Bonacci with Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and Giese with Eric Roberts. Their next tour was alongside hit artists like Fall Out Boy, the Academy Is... and Midtown. Gym Class Heroes also had spots on tours like Bamboozle and Warped Tour festival.

Their next release was in 2006 and titled As Cruel as School Children, produced by greats like S*A*M*, Sluggo and Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy. By this release, they had built up a fan base as well as a sound that was drawing critical acclaim. It was also the first album to make it onto the charts and peaked at number eight on the Top Rap Albums chart and number 35 on the Billboard 200. Their next album, The Quilt, dropped in September of 2008 and had more of the genre-blending sounds that the group has become famous for. The success of Gym Class Heroes keeps catching the attention of fans, critics and other music stars, securing them a place in the music world for quite some time.