Goldberg was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lived in nearby Jenkintown. His parents are Beverly (born October 8, 1943) (née Solomon) and the late Murray Goldberg (September 25, 1940 – February 1, 2008); he is the youngest of three siblings, with brothers Barry (born October 15, 1969) and Eric (born August 18, 1967). Notably, his brother Eric is portrayed as Erica in the show The Goldbergs. He produced his first play, Dr. Pickup, in 1992 at the age of 15, and won the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival. He graduated from the william Penn Charter School in 1994.