John Janick conceived of the label while attending high school, but it was not until he enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville and teamed up with Less Than Jake drummer-lyricist Vinnie Fiorello that Fueled By Ramen became a reality.

[1][2] The name of the label was inspired by only being able to afford a diet of inexpensive instant ramen at the time, due to having invested most of their money into making records.

Ramen's first major success came in 1998 with the self-titled EP from Jimmy Eat World, which enabled the label to buy its first office space in Tampa.

"[4] In 2004, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz introduced Fueled By Ramen to fellow Chicago pop-rock outfit The Academy Is..., who released their debut album Almost Here, the following year.

Soon thereafter, Janick joined forces with Wentz to create Decaydance Records and released a series of albums from a disparate-sounding group of acts ranging from the alternative hip hop of Gym Class Heroes to the indie-pop combo the Hush Sound.

In September 2005, Decaydance and Fueled By Ramen released A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, the RIAA quadruple-platinum-certified debut album from Las Vegas' Panic!