Dashboard Confessional (often referred to as simply Dashboard) is an American emo/acoustic band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance.

Initially a solo side project of Chris Carrabba while in Further Seems Forever, Dashboard Confessional's first recording was the 2000 LP The Swiss Army Romance.

The following year, Further Seems Forever, with Carrabba, recorded and released its debut album, The Moon Is Down. Carrabba soon thereafter left the band to record and release his second solo album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, and a follow-up EP, So Impossible; both were released under the name Dashboard Confessional.

By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos, and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent live release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.

Also in 2002, the music video for Screaming Infidelities won the MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots, and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.