She gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World (2014–2017), and signed with the Disney-owned Hollywood Records.

Her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet (2024), became her first to debut atop the Billboard 200, produced the top-three Hot 100 singles "Espresso", "Please Please Please" and "Taste", broke various records and garnered several achievements, and also earned six Grammy Award nominations, winning two.

[9][10] Around the same time, she performed as part of the Hunan Broadcasting System's Gold Mango Audience Festival program in China, singing "Something's Got a Hold on Me".

[19] From 2010 to 2013, Carpenter released various independent promotional singles before singing a five-album deal with Disney label Hollywood Records in 2014.

[23][24][25] In July 2014, Carpenter contributed lead vocals to the Disney Channel Circle of Stars cover version of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?".

[29] It served as the lead single for her debut studio album Eyes Wide Open, which was released on April 14, 2015, and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200.

[33] In June 2016, Carpenter starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Adventures in Babysitting (2016) alongside Sofia Carson.

[42] The album produced two singles including "On Purpose" and "Thumbs" with the former being nominated for a Radio Disney Music Award,[43] and the latter peaking at number one on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[47] In July, Carpenter released the single "Why", which received positive reviews,[48][49] and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, becoming her second entry on the chart.

[54] That same year, she released covers of "Sign of the Times" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with British singer Jasmine Thompson and violinist Lindsey Stirling respectively.

[7] The album received positive reviews upon release and found Carpenter exploring more personal topics than her previous works, including themes of anxiety and self-reflection.

[80][81] In May 2020, she performed "Your Mother and Mine" on the ABC broadcast television special, The Disney Family Singalong Volume II.

[109][110] "Nonsense," the album's fifth single, went viral on TikTok due to Carpenter performing newly improvised sexually suggestive outros for the song on tour.

[117] She performed the song at the pre-show for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards and at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2023.

[121][122][123] Bishop Robert J. Brennan relieved the pastor of his administrative duties and held a Mass of reparation which "restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm.

[125] Carpenter was the opening act for the Eras Tour by Taylor Swift for a number of its Latin American, Australian and Singaporean shows throughout 2023 and 2024.

[131] On April 11, Carpenter released the single "Espresso",[132] and performed at the 23rd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival the following day.

[145] A third single, "Taste" was also released alongside the album and debuted at number two on the Hot 100, making Carpenter the first act since The Beatles to chart their first three top five hits in the US during the same week.

[146] The first three singles off the album remained simultaneously in the top ten of the Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, a record for any female artist in history.

[129][127] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Carpenter said Madonna, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Aguilera were some of the artists who introduced her to pop music.

writer Barry Pierce noting that after the release of Emails I Can't Send, she "can rightfully claim the title of fully fledged popstar".

[20] Variety writer Thania Garcia noted that while Carpenter was "considered a Disney princess for years, her transition from child actor to pop star [...] has been slow, steady and intentional".

[20] Carpenter noted in an interview with Vogue that her "prior music put forth a facet of herself that she didn't feel was authentic at the time".

[168] Her stage presence has also been praised with Vogue writer Chelsea Sarabia noting that "as an artist and performer, [Carpenter] wields the full range of human expression as if it were an instrument of its own".

[179] Her preferred songwriting process is to start writing by deciding the song's title and building on from there, documenting her life experiences confessionally.

[180] Producer Jack Antonoff, who collaborated with Carpenter on the production of her sixth album Short n' Sweet, commended the way she weaved humor into her music and her songwriting voice.

[191] That same year, Carpenter partnered with DoSomething's Love Letters Challenge, aimed to combat isolation for senior citizens.

[195] She noted that "When [fans] come to my shows with pride flags, screaming the lyrics at the top of [their] lungs, I hope [they] feel an overwhelming rush of love and safety.

[198] In the leadup to the 2024 United States presidential election, Carpenter became the artist partnering with HeadCount that registered the highest number of voters in the year.

[199] In 2017, Carpenter endorsed Converse's Forever Chuck campaign alongside Rowan Blanchard, Alton Mason and Cole Sprouse.