[13] After Fall Out Boy's hiatus in late 2009, Stump released his debut solo album, Soul Punk, on October 18, 2011.

[12] Stump was born in Evanston, Illinois,[15] to David, a folk singer, and Patricia (née Vaughn) Stumph, an accountant.

"[20] He originally played the drums in various local Chicago power violence and hardcore punk bands,[21] including Public Display Of Infection, Xgrinding processX, Patterson,[22] and, for two shows, Arma Angelus.

[23] His musical idols growing up included Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and Nat King Cole.

He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary composer for the band, with bassist Pete Wentz taking lyrical duties.

[51] With Fall Out Boy, Stump toured heavily throughout 2013 and 2014 on the album, selling out arenas worldwide, with bands such as Paramore on the Monumentour.

He created a video on his website that shows him playing numerous instruments, starting with drum kit then adding more such as synthesizer, cowbell, electric guitar and bass, amongst others.

[67] He released the first EP of his solo career, Truant Wave, digitally on February 22, 2011, through his own record label, Nervous Breakdance Media.

[68] The EP consisted of songs Stump "felt strongly about but didn't have place for within the narrative of Soul Punk" and featured Alph-A-Bit, Om'mas Keith of Sa-Ra, David-Andrew "D.A."

[69] On April 6, 2011, Stump contributed an original song, entitled "Saturday Night Again" to the album Download To Donate: Japan Tsunami Relief.

NyMag.com commented that the song is "heavily indebted to Michael Jackson and, in good news for FOB loyalists, not totally unlike Stump's old band".

[73] The next day (the Tuesday he was referring to), Stump released a remix of a Soul Punk track, "This City", featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco.

He performed in a sleek black tuxedo, white moon boots and fingerless leather gloves, and on some songs he played the electric guitar.

Covers performed included "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes, "All of the Lights" by Kanye West, "Kiss My Sass" by Cobra Starship, "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince.

His TV guest appearances include Good Morning New Orleans, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Hoppus on Music.

He stated that the relentless criticism he has received from Soul Punk and Fall Out Boy's latest release, Folie à Deux, felt like "some big cosmic sign that says I should disappear" and that although he was prepared for criticism, he was not prepared to accept that people who ostensibly supported something he was involved in would turn into "haters" and attack his ambition and slimmed down image.

[80] These collaborations include: Escape The Fate,[81] Kat Graham,[82] Amountboyz,[83][84] The King Blues,[85] All Time Low,[86] Before You Exit,[87] and Yellowcard.

In 2008, he executive- and co-produced the Cab's Whisper War and Gym Class Heroes' The Quilt, as well as several tracks on Tyga's No Introduction.

[98] On September 23, 2012, Stump contributed lead guitar and vocals for a performance of "Black Hole Sun" with Robert Glasper Experiment at the London iTunes Festival.

[99] He created his own version of the theme song for The CW's TV series, One Tree Hill, featured on the third episode of season 8, The Space in Between.

He provided a song for Season 5 Episode 3 Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2 of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken in which he parodied James Cameron's Avatar.

[100] On November 5, 2015, it was announced that Stump had written and produced a song called Trophy Boy for the soundtrack of the animated film Charming to be sung by High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale, Avril Lavigne and G.E.M.

[110] Stump wrote the theme song and is the composer for 2021 animated television series Spidey and His Amazing Friends on Disney Junior.

He appeared in the second episode of Season 18 as Marty Dressler, a lowly employee of an electrical company, who is suspected in the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of an executive.

Alongside his live-action appearances, Stump has partook in a few voice acting roles, particularly in a handful of Robot Chicken sketches and, most recently, providing the voice for the character Ruberiot in the Disney XD cartoon Star vs. the Forces of Evil, where he also provided his vocal talents for the song "The Ballad of Star Butterfly".

[123] He has also appeared in The Young Blood Chronicles, Fall Out Boy's eleven-part music video story to support the band's 2013 album Save Rock and Roll with bandmates.

[127] In an interview with Music Choice in 2018, Stump spoke of his children having access to his record collection and asking him to play Head Hunters, an album by Herbie Hancock.

[131][132] He lost 65 pounds (29 kg) when Fall Out Boy went on hiatus, due in part to growing health issues, including asthma and pre-diabetes, with which he was diagnosed.

[137] Some of Stump's major influences are Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, who are reflected specifically in Soul Punk.

[138] Stump's influences also include bands such as The Beatles[139] and Green Day,[140] and artists such as Elvis Costello,[141][142][143][144] John Cage,[144] Marvin Gaye,[145] Nina Simone,[145] Tom Waits,[145] Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,[146] Ludwig van Beethoven,[146] Sergei Prokofiev,[146] Dmitri Shostakovich,[146] Igor Stravinsky, John Williams,[146] Danny Elfman,[146] Erich Wolfgang Korngold,[146] and Jerry Goldsmith.