The band's debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars (2002), was produced by Bob Ezrin and released to positive reviews but only to limited commercial success.

The band achieved worldwide fame with the release of its second album A Beautiful Lie (2005), which received multiple certifications all over the world.

Thirty Seconds to Mars then moved to Universal Music and released the fourth album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013), to critical and commercial success.

The band is noted for its energetic live performances and for fusing elements from a wide variety of genres, through its use of philosophical and spiritual lyrics, concept albums, and experimental music.

[11] Thirty Seconds to Mars retreated to the isolation of Wyoming's countryside in 2001 to record their debut album, working with producers Bob Ezrin and Brian Virtue.

They contacted Ezrin because they grew up listening to his work with Pink Floyd, Kiss and Alice Cooper and they felt he was the only one who could help them capture the size and scope of what they wanted to accomplish on their debut recording.

Jared Leto described the record as a concept album that focuses on human struggle and self-determination, in which otherworldly elements and conceptual ideas are used to illustrate a truthful personal situation.

[15] Upon its release, 30 Seconds to Mars was met with mostly positive reviews;[17] music critic Megan O'Toole felt that the band has "managed to carve out a unique niche for themselves in the rock realm.

The following month, Thirty Seconds to Mars made their first appearance on television on Last Call with Carson Daly and opened concerts for Our Lady Peace and Sevendust.

[27] Jared Leto directed a short film for the single, which became the first-ever American music video shot in the People's Republic of China in its entirety.

During the year, Thirty Seconds to Mars toured extensively throughout Europe and played at several major festivals, including Roskilde, Pinkpop, Rock am Ring, and Download.

Its music video was filmed 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland, and proceeds from the sales benefited the Natural Resources Defense Council.

[36] Jared Leto responded to some of the claims in the suit stating "under California law, where we live and signed our deal, one cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years."

[49][50] Thirty Seconds to Mars collaborated with rapper Kanye West on the song "Hurricane", which was released on the deluxe edition of This Is War and became the album's fourth single in some countries.

On November 7, Thirty Seconds to Mars and West performed "Hurricane" at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards at the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid, where the band also received their third Best Rock.

[52] They performed with musicians from the Vitamin String Quartet and invited a gospel choir to join the group for a rendition of U2's song "Where the Streets Have No Name".

[55] Thirty Seconds to Mars took a break from touring in 2012 and spent most of the year recording their fourth album, entitled Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams.

On March 18, 2013, the single premiered from the International Space Station, after a Q&A session with the band and Expedition 35 flight engineer Tom Marshburn, while Annise Parker, mayor of the city of Houston, proclaimed the Thirty Seconds to Mars Day.

[66] Thirty Seconds to Mars announced on April 25, 2014 that they have parted from Virgin Records after tumultuous years with the label, with Leto telling Billboard, "We're free and clear and excited about the future.

[73] Thirty Seconds to Mars then performed the song at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards featuring special guest Travis Scott.

During the ceremony, Jared Leto received media attention for his tribute to musicians Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, who both died earlier that year.

The style of the band's first studio album combined progressive metal and space rock with influences and elements from electronica, utilizing programming and synthesizers.

[23][89] Their third release This Is War was described as "an extremely progressive rock sound with killer choruses," drawing inspirations from experimental Pink Floyd to melodic M83.

[90] Chris Harris from Rolling Stone considered it "an ambitious collection of experimental rock" shaped by the band's personal struggles and legal battle with their record label.

[91] In Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams the band experimented with different instruments and drew influences from a wider and more varied range of styles.

[92] The album mixes experimental instrumentation with elements both symphonic and electronic, and the music introduces a minimalist approach full of ethereal sonics.

[95] In 2006, Jared Leto created the cover art for The 97X Green Room: Volume 2, a compilation of live music that includes a Thirty Seconds to Mars song, which proceeds from the sales benefited The Nature Conservancy.

[97] In June 2008, the band joined Habitat for Humanity to work on a home being repaired and renovated through the Greater Los Angeles Area's "A Brush With Kindness" programme.

[98] Thirty Seconds to Mars fans, termed as the Echelon, started several philanthropic organizations and projects with the purpose of supporting various charities and humanitarian causes.

[100] The group auctioned a quantity of items raising funds to help the Red Cross assist people affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.