10 Pop-Punk Bands Whose Second Album Was Better Than Their First
5. Paramore
While All We Know Is Falling was a belter in its own right, Riot! was undoubtedly Paramore's coming out party.
While All We Know birthed tracks like Pressure and Emergency, it got Paramore off to a very rocky start with their record label. Not only did they initially want Hayley Williams to be a solo act, they almost fired the band because they thought they were "terrible" - before the band wrote Hallelujah and Here We Go Again and essentially saved the deal.
Almost from the get-go, it was clear Paramore had something special, but All We Know didn't quite achieve its potential until the release of Riot! sparked sales to life. None of its singles charted until after Riot! was released, and it's now been certified gold.
Riot!, of course, was Paramore's true coming out party. The band returned with an edgier look, with Hayley Williams' auburn hair now bright orange and the band in colourful skinny jeans - and their sound represented the aesthetics.
While All We Know had an edge, Riot's was razor-sharp and its angst acted as the catapult that shot Paramore to super-stardom with hit singles Misery Business, Crushcrushcrush, Hallelujah and That's What You Get. The album has since been certified Triple Platinum and was number ten on Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics list.