Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus first gained fame following the release of her debut album, No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records.

In addition to her solo work, Dacus is also a member of the indie supergroup Boygenius, with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers.

In October 2023, Rolling Stone named Dacus the 213th-greatest guitarist of all time, noting: "[her] guitar is as essential an instrument as her voice".

[23] Historian, like No Burden, was recorded in Nashville, at Trace Horse Studio, in a similar collaborative effort by Lucy Dacus, Jacob Blizard, and Collin Pastore.

[25] To coincide with Valentine's Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of "La Vie en rose", the first in a planned series of songs commemorating major holidays.

[30] On March 8, 2023, Dacus released a music video for the song "Night Shift", directed by Jane Schoenbrun, for the fifth anniversary of Historian.

On October 8, 2024, Dacus was a surprise opener for a makeup Julien Baker show at New York City's Brooklyn Steel, where she performed an untitled new song on International Lesbian Day.

[39] During her Home Video Tour in July 2022, Dacus announced that she and her supporting act Camp Cope would be donating tips from the merchandise stand to the organization Fund Abortion Not Police.

[40] While performing with Boygenius at Coachella in April 2023, the band spoke in support of trans rights following bills proposed in states like Florida and Missouri.

[41] At a later tour date in June 2023 in Tennessee, Dacus and her fellow band members performed in drag in protest of anti-drag legislation that state governor Bill Lee signed into law that was blocked in federal court.

[42] After former President Barack Obama included "Not Strong Enough" by boygenius on his annual summer playlist, Dacus quote tweeted him, saying "war criminal :(".