He was born on April 9, 1977 in Summit, New Jersey. Way attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1999. As a child, Way grew up in a dangerous neighborhood where crimes happened often. He said that he was not allowed to play outside much when he was younger. In place of that, he had to stay indoors. While not being able to play in the park, he created his own imaginary world in his head. This led to his love for artwork. Gerard hoped to one day be a comic book artist. Before the attack on 9/11, Way was working on his cartoon "The Breakfast Monkey". He wanted it to be shown on Cartoon Network. The cartoon was rejected because it was very similar to the series "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".