Yeah Yeah Yeahs was formed in New York City in 2000 by Karen O (vocals), Brian Chase (drums) and Nick Zinner (guitar). The trio emerged at the same time as bands such as the Strokes and The White Stripes, the so-called "new American rock generation of the new millennium".

The band's music rescues the traditional garage rock, at times reminiscent of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The group became known for the strong presence on stage of vocalist Karen O. Their debut EP, with five songs, released in 2001, was widely commented on the alternative scene.

In 2002, the band released their second EP, Machine with three songs. Their debut album, Fever to Tell, came out in 2003. Show Your Bones, their second album, was released in 2006. In 2009, Yeah Yeah Yeahs released the album It’s Blitz!, which featured Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio in production. Sitek also co-produced Mosquito, the trio's fourth album, released in 2013.

After a long hiatus, the band returned in 2022 with Cool It Down, their fifth album. Between Mosquito and Cool It Down, Karen O released the solo album Crush Songs (2014) and an album in partnership with Danger Mouse, titled Lux Prima (2019).