Vocalist Danny Bowes and lead guitarist Luke Morley first played together when they were 15-year-old classmates in London. The two later formed the band Terraplane, and released two albums but broke up in 1988. Bowes, Morley, and drummer Gary "Harry" James then formed Thunder, recruiting bassist Mark "Snake" Luckhurst and rhythm guitarist Ben Matthews.

The group's first two singles both hit the U.K. Top 40 and earned Thunder a support slot for Aerosmith and a gig at the 1990 Monsters of Rock festival. Backstreet Symphony, released just a year-and-a-half after the group's live debut, reached the U.K.'s Top 20 and was certified gold. The follow-up, Laughing on Judgement Day, appeared in 1992, followed three years later by Behind Closed Doors.

1996 saw the release of their fourth full-length album, the radio-ready Thrill of It All. A series of live recordings and compilations peppered the next five to seven years, followed by the arrival of 2003's Shooting at the Sun. 2005 saw the release of Magnificent Seventh!, followed by Robert Johnson's Tombstone in 2006, all three were released on the Frontiers label. The following year saw the band embark on their first European tour in 12 years, and in 2008 they issued their ninth studio long-player Bang!.

Citing "outside interests," Thunder disbanded in 2009, and the members got involved with various other projects. They reunited for a one-off live performance in 2011, and spent the ensuing years keeping the project alive via the occasional live show. In 2014 the band announced the impending arrival of a new studio album. The resulting Wonder Days arrived in February of the following year. Thunder followed up the album with the release, All You Can Eat, which documented the story of Wonder Days with a short film and two live recordings (one of which was in-studio). In 2017, the group put out their 11th studio effort, Rip It Up.