Karen O and Nicolas Zinner met after she transferred to NYU; they then formed a strange duo called Unitard. Inspired by Ohio's avant punk scene, the duo went electric, hired on drummer Brian Chase (he and Karen had met at Oberlin College in Ohio), and changed their name to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (a play on how New Yorkers talk).

Buzz about the band grew as they opened for the White Stripes and the Strokes, and in 2001, they released their self-titled EP.

In 2002, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs toured, a lot. They appeared at South by Southwest, toured with Girls Against Boys, Sleater-Kinney, Liars, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and even headlined their own UK tour.

In 2003, they signed with Interscope to release their studio album debut, Fever to Tell. The single "Maps" hit big in 2004 and pushed the album to gold.

In 2005, the band decided to pursue individual paths with the intention of later releasing another album. Karen O lent her vocals to a Nike commercial, and Zinner published a book of photographs.

Later that year, the band reunited to produce their next album, Show Your Bones, which released in 2006 and peaked at #11 on the album charts.

Currently, the band is again pursuing individual projects with the intention of reuniting this spring for a new collaboration.