She started acting professionally onstage at the age of seven, and was later discovered during Disney Channel's nationwide search for new talent.

[8] Her father's job as a civilian consultant to the U.S. military required the family to move to numerous places around Europe, and they lived in Germany until she was 10.

[18] In 2009, Ryan landed a starring role in the independent feature film What If..., alongside Kevin Sorbo and Kristy Swanson.

[29] On March 29, she released the promotional single "Made of Matches",[30] which served as the theme of the Discovery Family show R.L.

On July 6, she released her debut solo single, the alternative hip hop song We Ended Right, featuring Chad Hively & Chase Ryan.

[35] Ryan directed the season three episode "Coffee Talk", making her the youngest female director for a Disney Channel production.

[36][37] Additionally, in a shift towards a more mature role, she guest starred in an episode of the show Private Practice as a recovering drug addict.

[45] She also appeared in the show TV series Mighty Med as Jade and was guest mentor in the fifth season of Fashion Police.

[49] The show debuted on May 25, 2016, at YouTube Red, a paid service of streaming original series and movies, similar to Netflix.

[50] Ryan played Holli Holiday, a famous and egocentric singer, who uses the fictional talent show Sing It!

[52] On August 22, Ryan was confirmed to join the VH1 drama series Daytime Divas, based on the book Satan's Sisters by former The View host Star Jones.

[54] She will play Maddie Finn, an ex-host of The Lunch Hour and rival of Kibby, who wants to return to the show.

[55] In June 2017, Ryan announced via her Instagram account that Netflix had ordered Insatiable to series, after previously being passed on by The CW.

"[62] In the same year, Ryan was cast in Netflix's thriller Night Teeth, directed by Adam Randall.

[64] Ryan would join Alison Brie in another movie called Spin Me Round in 2022, and then appear in four episodes of the Peacock Original series The Resort the same year.

[65] In 2023, Ryan appeared in Shortcomings, an Asian American relationship drama directed by Randall Park.

[71] She explained that "it was such emotional manipulation to the point where it became physical", and the experience inspired her to team up with Mary Kay and Love is Respect for their "Don't Look Away" anti-domestic violence campaign.

[75] On June 30, she pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to three years of probation, community service, and attending a DUI program.

[77][78] In a 2009 People interview, Ryan stated that her Suite Life co-star, Brenda Song, was her acting idol.

[79] She cited The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, April Smith and the Great Picture Show and Tom Petty as influences for her band's debut EP.