The band was named after a first grader that the lead singer met in college. They were formed early on in Rock Hill, South Carolina but moved to the West Coast in search of a better musical environment. The three members in the band at the time, Toby Morrell, Matt Carter, and Joel "Chopper" Green, actually left Rock Hill, South Carolina for Seattle on Sept. 11, the day of the terrorist attacks; they found out about it on the way. Current drummer Dave Powell originally played in the Indianapolis-based metalcore/hardcore band The Bowels of Judas. The rest of the members are from the bands Sachul, Joe 747 and Simply Waynes.

Emery is currently signed to Tooth & Nail Records. They have performed on the Vans Warped Tour lineup while being featured in the Warped Tour documentary, Wake Up Screaming. They also performed in Hot Topic´s Sub City Take Action! 2007 tour along with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, A Static Lullaby, and Kaddisfly, which began in February 2007 and is going to forty cities across the U.S.