Punchline is an American rock band from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, United States, that was formed in 1998.

They played local shows and recorded their first album, How to Get Kicked Out of the Mall, a blend of pop- and ska-influenced punk.

After being joined by Paul Menotiades (guitar, vocals), they recorded and co-produced Major Motion Picture with Billy Rossi for an August 2001 release.

The album has guest vocals by Anthony Raneri of the New York band Bayside and Vinnie Caruana of I Am the Avalanche and formerly The Movie Life on "Flashlight", John Johansen of the defunct Stryder on "Caller 10", and Josh Bonner of the defunct Unsung Zeroes on "Wars Will Always Happen", as well as guest guitar work by Ryan Mendez of Yellowcard on "Don't Try This at Home".

[4] Wood is said to be in good standing with the band and left to pursue other interests, specifically a solo career and teaching guitar.

[5] He was replaced by Jon Belan, a long-time Punchline friend and a former member of The Berlin Project and the lead singer of Gene The Werewolf.

Part 1 was recorded at Room Sound Studios in Tempe, Arizona, with the producer Jamie Woolford (formerly of The Stereo and now[when?]

Part 2 was recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe, who had produced Punchline's Action album.

"[citation needed] On July 11, 2008, Punchline created their independent label, Modern Short Stories, using the winnings ($25,000) from Heavy.com's Contraband Contest.

[9] In a blog entry posted the same day, Soboslai told readers that the split was amicable and announced a temporary stand-in for already scheduled shows.

[4] A couple of weeks after their recording sessions were completed, Punchline released a song for fans of the television series Lost, a single rough mix track entitled "Roller Coaster Smoke".

On June 24, Punchline revealed that the new album would be called Delightfully Pleased and it would be released on August 10, by Modern Short Stories and TDR Records.

[20] On January 19, 2015, Punchline announced their seventh full-length record titled "Thrilled" via their Facebook page with a release window of 2015.

[25] On November 15, 2017, Punchline concluded filming of the live music portion of the Special in their hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.[26] Punchline announced a new full-length record titled "Lion" the next year, shortly before releasing the album which includes previous singles "Darkest Dark" (ft Matt Thiessen) and "It's an New Year (Don't Be So Hard on Yourself).

Punchline also performed at a TEDxPittsburgh event called "Small Worlds, Big Ideas" on June 16, 2018.

[31] Punchline took time in between dates to play a show with 1990s rock heroes Gin Blossoms and Tonic in Pittsburgh.

[32] In February 2019, Punchline continued to play with Gin Blossoms[33] to support the New Miserable Experience 25th Anniversary Tour.

In 2020, they released the "Just Stay Home" single, commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic with fan footage,[35] as well as the Punchline Music Special[36] (later available on Amazon Prime streaming).

Notable acts they shared the stage with at this time include Catch 22, Allister, Spitalfield, Hidden In Plain View, The Fold, Audio Karate, Less Than Jake, Mest, Start Trouble, and MxPx.

[37] In September 2009, Punchline set out on the AbsolutePunk Next Favorite Band Tour with Farewell, Between The Trees, and Action Item.