Hayley Williams Slams Criticism from ‘Incels’ for Postponing Shows

Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams is shutting down "internet bros" and "weird incels" who are criticizing the band for postponing tour dates recently. On social media, Paramore revealed that their San Francisco concert would be moved due to "sickness within the touring party." In a follow-up tweet the following day, the band rescheduled subsequent shows and apologized for the inconvenience this caused fans.

Williams, 34, has since revealed she was suffering from a lung infection and continued their tour over the weekend.  However, the band's postponement didn't go over well with some fans, who aired out their grievances online. Over the weekend, the "Still Into You" singer posted a series of Instagram Stories taking aim at trolls over the date changes, per People.

One person compared Paramore to Metallica and Iron Maiden for managing to perform while sick and being "much older than you love." Williams replied: "Neither James [Hetfield] NOR Bruce [Dickinson] are gonna suck your d--- for this, LOVE." Another person noted how Dave Grohl continued performing after he fell off the stage and broke his leg in 2015. She clapped back at their comment, replying, "I have a lung infection you soft s---! Not a broken limb. One you can sing with for 2 hours, another you cant." She pointed out that the shows weren't canceled and "merely postponed a week." To top off her retort, Williams said, "Maybe you should come out to one of them… like Dave did.”

In another Instagram Story, Williams addressed how "internet bros have been pressed" by her "proximity to rock music and all its subgenres since 2005." She said none of their favorite bands would endorse their "weird incel a-- lifestyle." They treat Paramore with respect because they aren’t "threatened by a strong woman front[ing] a great band."

Paramore is one of the most iconic emo groups out there. Forming in 2004 in Tennessee, Paramore has been and still is one of the best female-led bands around. The band consists of lead vocalist/frontwoman Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are the founding members of the group, while York, who was a high school friend, joined in 2007. Though the group’s debut album, All We Know Is Falling, came out in 2005, 2007’s Riot! was their major success. With hits like “Misery Business,” “Crushcrushcrush,” and “That’s What You Get,” the band gained mainstream recognition. Hayley's vibrant red and blonde "scene" hairstyle made her every teenage girl's style inspiration and every boy's crush (you had to be there).

Their 2009 follow-up, Brand New Eyes, is the band’s second-highest-charting album to date with hits like “Ignorance,” “Brick By Boring Brick,” “The Only Exception,” and “Playing God.” The following year, Josh and Zac Farro announced that they were leaving the band. In 2011, Hayley told MTV that despite the band losing two of its members, they would release new music soon. The singer also admitted that Paramore’s style would likely change with the new members but clarified that the band would still retain their core signature sound. Despite Paramore’s years-long of internal drama and the coming and going of Zac, they released three more albums (2013’s self-titled album, 2017’s After Laughter, and 2023’s This Is Why).

This summer, the band is hitting the road again from May to August as part of their This Is Why tour. Kicking off their 13-leg US tour in Houston, Texas, the band will finish off in Minnesota before moving to New Zealand, Australia, and Europe for the next year. They will be joined by special guests Bloc Party, Foals, Genesis Owusu, and The Linda Lindas for selected dates. Paramore will be keeping busy touring, joining Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour in the UK next year as well. Hayley recently offered her vocals on a "From the Vault" track with Swift, titled "Castles Crumbling," as part of her Speak Now re-recording.

See below our top 10 picks of Paramore's entire discography and let the nostalgia seep in.

This song is pretty self-explanatory: when you listen to your heart over your head, there's gonna be trouble. This is about the constant battles and ups and downs of what it's like being in love.

This is probably one of the most beautiful videos the band has come out with. Using imagery of butterflies and the lyrics to match, "Brick By Boring Brick" is one of Paramore's more fun songs using storybook inspiration.

If you're already feeling emotional, this song will push you over the edge and make you cry. Every person who loves their father can really immerse themselves in Hayley's opening of "The Only Exception." This love song is great to sing along and (try to) belt out those high notes.

We love how this song progresses very fast, from a soft and light intro to the guitar and drums coming in. Hayley can really hit those powerful high notes that are very hard to replicate. She achieves this so effortlessly and perfectly.

Paramore will always call you out on the BS. "Playing God" points at self-righteous people, Hayley's bandmates, and people who make you feel like you're not good enough. We love how Hayley's voice overlaps at the bridge with Josh Farro.

With another religion-influenced song title ("Hallellujah" came out in 2007, while "Playing God" was in 2009"), this song is all positive vibes that leave you in a great mood.

"Still Into You" is such a cute, whimsical song. The instrumentals are so fun sounding throughout the song, and the inflection in which Hayley sings is really unique. The music video very much reflects that as well.

If you're not a Paramore fan, this is the song that everyone's heard at least once. Hayley was just 17 years old when she wrote the song with the iconic yet controversial line, "Once a whore, you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that will never change." This is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs, which we agree with, but it isn't no. 1.

When you're feeling tired of being around people, this is the perfect song to bask in that alone time: "Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone." Hayley has a way of singing lyrics that is empowering for women who don't take any s--- from anyone.

The year was 2008. Twilight had just come out and Paramore skyrocketed their popularity when they debuted "Decode" as the movie's lead single off the soundtrack (solid soundtrack, by the way). 15 years later, and this song still hits like it did when we were teens.