Steinfeld gained wider recognition for her roles in the Pitch Perfect film series (2015–2017) and The Edge of Seventeen (2016), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

[3][6] Her maternal first cousin, actress True O'Brien, appeared in a television commercial when Steinfeld was eight years old, inspiring her to try acting as well.

[16] Steinfeld began acting at age 10; she appeared in several short films, including playing the role of Talia Alden in the award-winning She's a Fox.

[4] The film was released internationally in December 2010; Richard Corliss of Time magazine called her performance one of the Top 10 of 2010, and wrote that Steinfeld "delivers the orotund dialogue as if it were the easiest vernacular, stares down bad guys, wins hearts.

[24] The role was originally intended for a 22-year-old actress; there was concern about nudity in the film, but its director explained that when Steinfeld was cast, the script was changed to make it age-appropriate.

[26] Steinfeld starred as Petra Arkanian in Ender's Game, a science-fiction action-adventure film based on the book by Orson Scott Card.

[30] Paramount Pictures closed a deal in 2011 for the screen rights to the Cat Patrick novel Forgotten and announced that she would play London Lane in a project yet to be filmed as of 2015[update].

[31] In 2014, Steinfeld was announced to star as Min Green in a screen adaptation of Daniel Handler's romantic-comedy book Why We Broke Up, but as of 2022, the film had not gone into production.

Steinfeld was originally cast to play the female lead in the 2015 film, For the Dogs, but was replaced by actress Emma Roberts.

Steinfeld was announced in January 2015 as the star of the film adaptation of Carrie Pilby, the young adult novel by Caren Lissner; she left the project due to scheduling conflicts.

[37] In April 2015, Steinfeld was cast in a lead role in Break My Heart 1000 Times, based on the YA novel by Daniel Waters.

[38][39] Steinfeld starred as the Trinity in the music video for "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar.

[41] Steinfeld co-starred in Pitch Perfect 2, alongside Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Elizabeth Banks, who also directed.

[50][51][52] In February 2016, Steinfeld released a remixed version of "Rock Bottom", as the second single featuring American funk pop band DNCE.

[55] In September 2016, Steinfeld played the lead role in The Edge of Seventeen, a coming-of-age comedy co-starring Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick, and written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig.

[56][57][58] The film was released on November 18, 2016, to positive reviews; Steinfeld's performance was praised and earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination.

[61][62] In March, Steinfeld was featured on American rapper Machine Gun Kelly's single "At My Best" taken from his third studio album Bloom.

[70][71] In September 2017, Steinfeld released the single "Let Me Go", a collaboration with Swedish record producer Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Andrew Watt, which reached number 14 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.

[91] In August 2019, Steinfeld featured on the music video for Benny Blanco and Juice Wrld's single "Graduation".

[95] The EP received mixed reviews with critics praising Steinfeld's vocals, confidence and vulnerability but panning the music.

[115] In March 2023, Steinfeld released "SunKissing" which Rolling Stone described as a "vibey, electric guitar-backed pop earworm".

[119] V magazine writer Dylan Kelly called Steinfeld an "artist of ambidexterity, showcasing supremacy across an impressive repertoire of on-screen roles in film and television", and said "her musical prowess is one of melodic self-growth and good-natured, lyrical wisdom".

[121] Variety writer Natalie Weiner stated that Steinfeld has long been injecting "some vague notion of female empowerment [...] into her music.

[124] She went on to note the "differences between working on a film set and in a studio are multiple", and adding that "she loves the freedom of making music".

[125] Other artists Steinfeld has cited as influences include Britney Spears, Tori Kelly, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake.

[131] She has been involved in marketing initiatives throughout her career and endorsed numerous brands including Prada,[132] Balmain,[133] and Louis Vuitton.

[138] Steinfeld endorsed a variety of charities, including numerous organizations with a focus on improving children's lives.

[141] Steinfeld has made several public appearances during charity events, such as the Breast Cancer Foundation's 2014 Hot Pink Party,[142] the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 tour,[143] and WE Day 2019 in California.

[145] Steinfeld alongside the cast of the Pitch Perfect film series reunited to record an a cappella cover of Beyonce's track "Love On Top", which was released in August 2020.