Aaron Snyder, the product of a scandalous one-night stand between Julie Wendall and Holden Snyder, was adopted at birth by Iva Snyder, Holden's adopted sister. Since Holden was married to Iva's daughter, Lily, and since Julie had been married to Holden's brother, Caleb, it was decided that Aaron's parentage should be kept a secret from Holden and another man's name was put on his birth certificate. Unfortunately, the secret would only stay buried for a short time. When Holden finally learned the truth, he rushed to New York (where Julie was staying) and demanded to know if he was Aaron's father. Not long after Julie confirmed it, Holden was mugged and ended up suffering from a severe case of memory loss. When he finally returned to Oakdale, Holden had no memory of his past and it was uncertain whether his memory would ever return. After divorcing Lily (whom he had no memory of), Holden sued for, and received custody, of Aaron. Though he had no memory of his past, Holden was determined to be a good father and, with the help of the Snyder family, he raised Aaron alone. A few years after his accident, Holden sent Aaron to live with Julie and Caleb (who'd since remarried) in Seattle while he went to Maryland to participate in a treatment program that dealt with memory loss. Later after returning to Oakdale, his memory suddenly returned and he reunited with Lily. Though Holden was now fully recovered, he believed that Aaron was happy living with Julie and Caleb and left him in Seattle. Years later, a 17-year-old Aaron unexpectedly ran away from Seattle to live with his father.

Though on the surface the sullen teenager appeared to be a bad influence, in reality he was simply misunderstood. Though Holden always assumed that Aaron was happy in Seattle, the truth was that the Snyder's marriage wasn't entirely happy and Julie spent lots of time away from home. Alone, and feeling responsible for the couple's marital problems, Aaron became sullen and was finally arrested for breaking and entering. Thinking that he would be better off in Seattle, Caleb arrived to take the boy home. Knowing that Aaron wanted to stay, and believing his story that he didn't break into the home to steal anything, Holden convinced Caleb to let the kid stay in town. While spending his summer at the Snyder farm fixing his motorcycle, Aaron, when pressed by Holden about what he wanted in life, admitted that his dream was to own a bike repair shop. Also, at the farm, Aaron met the sweet Lucy Montgomery and immediately became attracted to her. Though scheming Alison Stewart tried to break the couple up, her plan failed and she begged the couple's forgiveness, which Aaron gave. The couple found another obstacle in Lucy's dad, Craig, who saw Aaron as a bad influence and forbade Lucy to see him. When Craig learned that Lucy was defying him and seeing Aaron on the sly, he had a restraining order placed on Aaron. Worried about her father's threats of sending her away, Lucy contacted her mother, Sierra, who saw Aaron's good side and convinced Craig to let them date. Though Craig still believed that Aaron wasn't right for Lucy, he nonetheless agreed to let them see each other.

That was until Lucy became involved in a minor accident riding Aaron's motorcycle. Deciding that Aaron was totally wrong for his daughter, Craig talked Holden into sending Aaron back to Seattle. Knowing that Lily's pregnancy was in jeopardy from the stress of Aaron being around, Holden reluctantly agreed at first, but later changed his mind. Unfortunately the couple faced a crisis when Aaron was charged with arson! Unable to prove his innocence, Aaron ran off with Lucy and Alison in order to escape the police. On the run for weeks, Hal Munson and Craig finally caught up with the kids and brought them back. Of course by this time, Hal's son, Will, had confessed to the crime so Aaron was off hook. Unfortunately, this news was bittersweet since prior to being found, Lucy was hit by a trolley and left paralyzed and with amnesia. Now a free man, Aaron decided to stay by Lucy no matter how long it took her to recover. Soon, she did and with help from Lucy's new stepmother, Rosanna, Craig grudgingly accepted their relationship. However, things quickly changed for the couple when Aaron got a job at "The Metro", owned by Craig and Dusty Donovan. Wanting to better himself for Lucy, Aaron was enthusiastic and went against Holden's warnings of working for a criminal like Dusty. Holden's fears bore out one night when Aaron, who had the opportunity to leave work early and go to a dance with Lucy, opted to deliver a package for Dusty and was arrested for illegal booking! Although, Dusty stuck up for Aaron and stated that Aaron had no idea that he was delivering money for illegal gambling, Aaron ended up losing Lucy, who was hurt that he didn't show up for her Homecoming Dance. Trying to explain that he had no choice, Lucy nonetheless was hurt and felt that Aaron's job was more important to him than her and called off their relationship. Distraught, Aaron ended up with a heartsick Alison and the pair ended up sleeping together.

Weeks later, Aaron was shocked when Alison announced that she was pregnant and he was the father! Wanting to do what was right for the baby, when Aaron learned that Lucy had gone on with her life by dating someone else, he let Alison convince to marry her for the sake of the child. Getting excited about the prospect of fatherhood, Aaron decided to make the most of his marriage and bought an apartment for themselves. Aaron was truly devastated when Alison finally confessed that she'd lied--Chris Hughes was the baby's father, not him. Hurt and angry, Aaron was set to go to Chris with the truth, despite Alison's pleas that they keep it quiet since she feared Chris would take away her baby. However, Chris's condescending attitude at the hospital irked Aaron and he agreed to keep quiet. Then came two startling events--Alison ran off and Chris learned that the baby was his. Fearing that Alison had run off to Chicago to get an abortion, Aaron ran off to find her and stop her. Relieved when he learned that she had no intention of getting an abortion, Aaron convinced her to return to Oakdale and face Chris. Unfortunately, Chris followed Aaron to Chicago in order to talk to Alison. Deathly afraid that Chris would have her declared an unfit mother, Alison ran off to the fire escape to get away. When Aaron learned that Alison had run off, he rushed out to the roof just in time to see Alison fall after Chris lunged at her! Tragically, the fall caused Alison to lose her baby and Aaron made sure he told everyone what he saw--Chris push Alison off the roof. Although a confused Alison initially corroborated the story, she later remembered that Chris was trying to help her off the roof, not push her.

That ordeal over, Aaron continued working at the Metro and continued befriending Ali. However, it was becoming clear to Aaron that Chris was perhaps not the right man for Alison, seeing that Ali always felt the need to keep Chris happy. When Ali needed to get a job, Aaron helped her secure one at Metro, and even helped her sneak around since Ali didn't want Chris to find out that she was working there (since Chris had told her he didn't want her working there). After weeks of helping Ali cover her tracks, and futilely trying to get her to just fess up, Chris found out the truth. However, to Ali's shock he understood. Soon after, Aaron was shocked when Ali announced her and Chris's engagement. Aaron, who believed that Chris didn't appreciate Ali for who she was, tried to convince her it was a mistake, but all he did was alienate Ali. Told to either accept her decision or end their friendship, Aaron had no choice but to shut up. Weeks into the engagement, though, with the wedding fast approaching, Aaron saw Chris kissing Ali's big sister, Emily. Although the pair downplayed what Aaron saw, he had his suspicions about Chris. However, he couldn't say anything because he was afraid hurting Ali. Finally, the night before Alison's wedding, after a talk with Lucy, Aaron came to a sudden revelation--he was in love with Ali! Finally recognizing it, he rushed to tell Ali how he felt. Unfortunately for Aaron, Ali's reaction was one of anger and utter shock since her best friend was telling her this the night before her wedding. Finally, Aaron told Ali part of the truth--Chris was seeing another woman (but didn't give the woman's name). However, Ali refused to believe it. Unfortunately for Alison, her heart would be broken the next day when Chris, standing at the altar, told her he couldn't marry her. Her world was furthered shattered when she discovered that he was in love with her sister. Realizing that Aaron knew the truth all along, Ali railed at him for not telling her the entire truth.

At about this time, Aaron had been tapped by Dusty to enter a boxing match. Having been venting his frustrations, over Ali with a punching bag for the past several months, he was convinced to enter into a fight with an up-and-coming young boxer named Rafael "Rafi" Ortega. Although it was made clear that Aaron was the underdog, and he was prepared to lose, Aaron was determined to give it his all. As Aaron was preparing for the fight, Alison caught wind of it and confronted him about the dangers of boxing. However, he was quickly able to assuage her fears, to the point where she volunteered to help him train. In the course of the training, the pair became closer and would finally share a kiss. In the meantime, Aaron was shocked when Dusty told him that he was supposed to take a fall during the third round. Warned by Dusty that not complying could be dangerous, Aaron seemed to comply but later went to Rafi and told him about the fix. Rafi was just as angry about the fix as Aaron and the two agreed that it'd be a fair fight. However, unbeknownst to Aaron, Rafi's gloves (that he was forced to wear) were weighed down and, despite himself, he landed Aaron a near fatal blow to the head. Luckily, he survived, but was left paralyzed on his left side. His condition left Aaron disgusted and he began to resent Ali for her help. However, he quickly got over his resentment and he and Ali grew closer than ever. Then Aaron received good news from Dr. Ben Harris--with surgery, there was a good chance his paralysis could be corrected. Luckily, the surgery worked, and after a few months, Aaron made a complete recovery.

Not long afterward, Aaron received terrible news-his mother was very ill. Distressed, Aaron immediately made plans to visit her. Although Alison offered to go with him, Aaron told her that he really wanted to go alone. After a week in Seattle, Aaron called with even more horrible news--Julie only had six months to a year to live. As a result of his mother's grim diagnosis, Aaron decided to stay in Seattle for the duration. Later, that year, Aaron called Allison to ask her to come down to Seattle with him. By now, his mother's diagnosis had improved greatly and Aaron got a good job running a nightclub.

Aaron returned to Oakdale two years later looking for Alison. It was clear that he and Alison parted on very bad terms--with him calling her trash. However, Aaron regretted the way things ended and wanted another chance. Alison resisted at first but then gradually let him into her life. Finally, she confessed about her troubles recently, which included pornography and drug abuse. Though she thought he'd reject her, Aaron admitted that if he wouldn't have pushed her away in the first place she would have never been in such trouble. He then professed his love for her. Unfortunately, thanks to Alison's former porn producer Lance, Aaron saw a videotape of Alison making love with Dusty Donovan, her sister's former boyfriend. Aaron saw that as a betrayal of her sister and found that he couldn't forgive her. As time went by, Aaron kept misinterpreting situations which caused him to confront Alison. Convinced that he would see her as nothing but a whore, Alison walked away from him. Soon after, Aaron struck up a friendship with a new waitress named Sofie. Sofie was in a relationship with a man named Cole who treated her very badly. Aaron couldn't understand why Sofie stayed with Cole but she revealed that she couldn't break up with him. After their talk, Aaron realized that she was pregnant.

As the weeks went by, Sofie and Aaron's friendship grew. Before long, Sofie's baby was beginning to kick. After seeing Sofie and Cole in an argument, Aaron blurted out that Sofie was pregnant when she tripped. As Sofie feared, Cole wondered if the child was even his; he accused it of being Aaron's. At the same time, Aaron was surprised to learn that Alison had decided to donate her eggs to an infertile Gwen Munson. Aaron found it a touching gesture and told her so. From that point, he and Alison reconciled. Meanwhile, Sofie had decided to get an abortion but at the last minute could not go through with it. Aaron took pity on Sofie and, when she found herself jobless and homeless, he let her stay at the Snyder farm. Soon Cole's mother found Sofie and harshly accused her of getting pregnant on purpose. Aaron immediately thought Alison was to blame for Cole's mother finding out. Hurt that he would immediately suspect her, Alison called things off. Later, things took an unexpected turn when Cole reunited with Sophie and convinced her that they weren't cut out to be parents just yet. Cole convinced Sophie to give the baby up for adoption.

At the same time, Will's mother, Barbara, had arranged for him and Gwen to adopt a baby. Both adoptions were closed which meant that the birth mother and adoptive family would remain anonymous. Aaron knew the details of Sophie's adoption and Alison knew details from Will. After a random conversation with Aaron, it wasn't hard for Alison to figure out that the baby the Munsons were adopting must be Sophie's. Alison went undercover as a pregnant woman and approached Barbara's adoption lawyer. Finding a bootie that Sophie knitted which was going to the adoptive mother, Alison knew she was right. As Alison went to Gwen and Will with her suspicion, Sophie finally went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl. When Gwen learned that her mother and Cole had been party to selling his own baby, she was disgusted. Cole abandoned Sophie the minute he learned he wouldn't be getting any money. Alone, Sophie decided to let the Munsons adopt her baby after all. Gwen named the baby Hallie Jennifer and chose Aaron and Alison to be her godparents. Though Sofie insisted that she wanted Hallie to be raised by the Munsons, weeks after Hallie's birth she snuck into the Munson home and ran off with the baby. Sofie then fled to New York City but unfortunately had no way to care for Hallie. Alone in a big city with a screaming baby, Sofie had no choice but to call Aaron for help. Aaron came to her rescue and tried to convince her to return to Oakdale. Not wanting to lose her child, Sofie slipped away. Unfortunately, Hallie seemed sick so a desperate Sofie called Chris who urged Sofie to return since her baby obviously needed medical care. Sofie heeded his warnings and returned. Though he was Will's cousin, Chris took pity on Sofie and, believing that she suffered from post partum depression, he aided in her fight to get custody of Hallie. As for Aaron, he was forced to testify against Sofie, who saw it as a betrayal. After a custody battle, the judge decided that Gwen and Will should retain custody.

Not long afterward, Alison and Chris rekindled their relationship. However, Aaron still didn't trust Chris and wasted no time telling Alison. However, Alison was convinced that Chris was a good guy. At the same time, Alison decided to become a nurse and entered into Memorial's nursing program. The course work was overwhelming and Ali later confided in Aaron that she decided not to pursue anything romantic with Chris. She wanted to concentrate on her studies. Though Alison almost flunked out as soon as she started when she missed her first test, thanks to Chris, she was given a make-up exam. Unfortunately, as soon as she told Chris that she no longer wanted to sleep with him, and he mistakenly thought she'd slept with Aaron, Ali was kicked out of the nursing program. Realizing that Chris used his influence to get Alison kicked out of the program, Aaron convinced Ali that she should sue for sexual harassment. Unfortunately, Alison lost when Chris lied that on the day of Alison's dismissal, he told the head of the nursing program that he believed that she'd be a good nurse. Not long after, Chris admitted that he'd lied and Alison was re-admitted into the nursing program. Weeks later, after Alison almost died from being poisoned by Rick Decker, Aaron proposed marriage. To his delight, she accepted. Though Aaron wanted to wait a year so they could have a proper wedding, Alison surprised him by suggesting that they marry immediately. Unfortunately, things would end badly when Chris informed Aaron that he and Alison slept together the day before their wedding. Upset, Aaron promptly divorced Alison and left town.