A virtual band, Gorillaz were created by Blur's Damon Albarn and comic writer Jamie Hewlett in 1998. It consisted of four animated members; 2D on lead vocal and keyboard, Murdoc Niccals on bass, Noodle on lead guitarist and Russel Hobbs on drums and percussion. 

In 2000, they released a mini album "Tomorrow Comes Today" which was followed by a full-length album "Gorillaz" a year later. One of the most successful singles which led them invading the U.S. was their debut single "Clint Eastwood". The song also helped them score two nominations; Best British Single and Video, at 2002 BRIT Awards. 

During that time, they were rumored to work on a movie project which was abandoned later on because there was no script which was good enough for the group. "We lost all interest in doing it as soon as we started meeting with studios and talking to these Hollywood executive types, we just weren't on the same page. We said, f**k it, we'll sit on the idea until we can do it ourselves, and maybe even raise the money ourselves," Jamie said in an interview. 

After stepping back from the spotlight for a while, Gorillaz came back in 2005 with ...

another studio album "Demon Days". They scored their first No. 1 album in the U.K. with this record and cracked the Top 10 of Billboard Hot 200 by peaking at No. 6. By the end of the year, it had gone five-time platinum in the U.K., double platinum in the U.S. and triple platinum Down Under. 

Following their worldwide success, the band planned to go on a holographic 3-D world tour which was scheduled to be held in 2007 and 2008. They then previewed the gig during performances at 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards and 2006 Grammy Awards with the addition of virtual Madonna on the latter show. 

But the traveling show was scrapped later on due to logistical issue. "It was extremely expensive, extremely difficult, a million and one things can go wrong, every second that the thing's playing. We did that thing at the EMAs. That was a test of what it could be like," Jamie said during an interview. 

"And when we sat and watched that, everyone involved was literally gnawing their fingernails, because we knew of the 65 things that could go wrong any second. And when it finished, when the three minutes was over and nothing went wrong, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. So we realized that if we did a tour, it'd be a logistical nightmare." 

Instead of hitting the road, Gorillaz was busy making a documentary. After around two years in the making, they finally released in April 2009 a film titled "Bananaz" which was directed by Ceri Levy. This movie covered the antics of the 'real musicians' behind the virtual band over the course of seven years and was screened selectively in 2008 at film festivals. 

A year after debuting "Bananaz", they step up bringing a new album "Plastic Beach" on March 9, 2010. It features the likes of Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed and Mike Jones. The lead single "Stylo" is released months prior to the album and reaches No. 25 on Billboard Alternative Songs chart. 

Gorillaz released a digital single of the tracks "Revolving Doors" and "Amarillo" from their new album The Fall on 14 March 2011. Photos were released of frontman Damon Albarn and rapper Pharrell Williams recording with an iPad, Omnichord and a Korg Donca Matic when on Gorillaz' Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, Albarn has stated in an interview that was not sure when the track would be released.

On 18 April 2011, Gorillaz announced the release of their own version of the iPad app iElectribe, by Korg - which features loops and samples taken from The Fall as well as other samples. The new Gorillaz version features a Gorillaz designed and styled interface, and is customized to generate Gorillaz samples from their fourth album The Fall and includes 128 new sounds created by Gorillaz and 64 ready-to-use pre-programmed patterns from Gorillaz, Stephen Sedgwick (Gorillaz' engineer) and Korg. There have been noted problems with the app's availability outside of theUnited Kingdom. The app was based on Korg's Electribe: R device app.

 On 5 October 2011, Gorillaz announced their first "greatest hits" compilation, The Singles Collection 2001–2011, which was released on 28 November 2011.

On 9 February 2012, Gorillaz announced "DoYaThing", a single to promote the Gorillaz-branded Converse shoes that were soon to be released. The song would be part of Converse's "Three Artists, One Song" projects, with the two collaborators being James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem andAndré 3000 of Outkast. The track was available for free download on Converse's website, and in Journeys stores by way of scanning a QR code. An explicit, 13 minute-long version of the song became available for listening shortly after on Gorillaz.com. Jamie Hewlett returned to direct the single's music video, featuring animated versions of the two collaborators on the track.

 The video, which premiered on 29 February 2012 shows the original four Gorillaz members reunited in a three bedroom flat at 212 Wobble Street, London. Also appearing are "The Boogeyman" and André 3000 (wearing a black mask with a white X on it), who surprises 2D in various places. Russel, still a giant, rests on the roof of the building. Noodle's windmill island which featured in "Feel Good Inc." and "El Mañana" is afloat again and anchored to the side of the building. Murdoc is shown to be recording new installments of his radio show from the apartment, while Noodle sleeps. The video ends with 2D receiving an eviction notice from a baboon in a postman's uniform (apparently Murphy's avatar in the project), putting the permanency of the band's residence into question once again.

"Indefinite hiatus" and other projects (2012–present)

In April 2012, Albarn told The Guardian that he and Hewlett had fallen out and that future Gorillaz projects were "unlikely". Tension between the two had been building during phase 3, as Albarn had felt that "we were at cross purposes somewhat on [Plastic Beach]" and that the visuals were not matching the music very well. However, in an interview with The Independent, Hewlett stated "I just want to do some of my own stuff, and Damon has many projects — he's always doing 10 things at once —, so it's all right to separate for a bit and try different things", and that while the concept of Gorillaz has "run its course for now, it doesn't mean it's packed away for good", although a future collaboration with Albarn would be something "completely different." He also revealed that he would like to revisit some of the unfinished projects that they worked on between albums.

 On 25 April, in an interview with Metro, Albarn later clarified that his previous statements were "from an article which was an interesting take on a very long conversation". When asked about the future of the Gorillaz, he went on to say that once he had worked out his differences with Jamie Hewlett, he was confident that they'd make another record. When asked if sorting his differences with Hewlett would be difficult, Albarn said:

"I don't think so. We've been through too much together for it to be that big of a mountain to climb. We've just fallen out like mates do sometimes. I'm not the only person to fall out with mates and then make up again — everyone does it." 

On 27 March 2013, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's opera Monkey: Journey to the West was announced to be re-shown in New York from 6–28 July.

On June 24, 2013, Jamie Hewlett stated that he and Albarn plan to someday record a follow-up to their 2010 album Plastic Beach. Hewlett also confirmed that a new Blur album was in the works, and that work on Gorillaz would not continue until the Blur album was finished.

 During the group hiatus, in 2013, while hosting a show for BBC Radio 2, Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon played a previously unreleased Gorillaz track called "Whirlwind", which was used in a teaser trailer and was intended for Plastic Beach.