The Offspring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Offspring
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The Offspring in April 2025
From left to right: Brandon Pertzborn, Todd Morse, Dexter Holland, Jonah Nimoy, and Noodles |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Manic Subsidal (1984–1986) |
| Origin | Garden Grove, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1984–present |
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| Members |
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| Past members |
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The Offspring is an American rock band that started in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. They were first called Manic Subsidal. The band's current members are lead singer and guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy, and drummer Brandon Pertzborn.
The Offspring is known for helping to make punk rock popular again in the mid-1990s. Other California punk bands like Green Day and Bad Religion also helped. Over their 41-year career, The Offspring has released eleven studio albums. They have sold more than 45 million records, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands ever.
The band's longest-serving drummer was Ron Welty, who joined in 1987. He was later replaced by Adam "Atom" Willard in 2003, and then by Pete Parada in 2007. Parada left the band in 2021 due to health reasons. Brandon Pertzborn became the new drummer in 2023. Greg "K." Kriesel, one of the band's founders, was the bassist until 2018. After he left, Holland became the only original member still in the band. Todd Morse, who had been a touring guitarist, became the new bassist. Jonah Nimoy joined as an official member in 2023.
The Offspring gained fans with early releases like their 1989 first album and the Baghdad EP (1991). They then signed with Epitaph Records and released Ignition (1992) and Smash (1994). Smash featured their first big hit, "Come Out and Play". It sold over 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums from an independent label. This success helped bring punk rock into the mainstream.
Because of Smash's popularity, The Offspring signed with Columbia Records in 1996. Their first album with Columbia, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), was well-received. Their fifth album, Americana (1998), brought even more success. Songs like "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get a Job?", and "The Kids Aren't Alright" became very popular on radio and MTV. Americana sold over five million copies in the US and reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart.
Their next albums, Conspiracy of One (2000) and Splinter (2003), were also praised by critics. The Offspring's eighth album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008), marked a strong comeback. Its song "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" was a huge hit, topping the Billboard rock charts for eleven weeks. The band continued to tour and release new songs. Their latest album, Supercharged, was released on October 11, 2024.
Contents
- Band History
- Starting the Band (1984–1993)
- Smash and Mainstream Success (1994–1995)
- New Labels and More Hits (1996–2002)
- Changes in the Band (2003–2005)
- Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2006–2009)
- Days Go By (2010–2013)
- Tours and Music Rights (2014–2016)
- Let the Bad Times Roll and Member Changes (2017–2021)
- Supercharged and New Drummer (2022–Present)
- Band's Music Style
- Band Members
- Discography
- Tours
- Awards
- Further Viewing
- See also
Band History
Starting the Band (1984–1993)
The Offspring began with Dexter Holland (who played drums then) and bassist Greg "K." Kriesel in 1983. They played music in a garage in Cypress, California. After a Social Distortion concert in 1984, they decided to form a band called Manic Subsidal. Holland became the singer and guitarist.
Holland asked Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman to join the band. This lineup practiced at Kriesel's parents' house. They played their first show in Santa Cruz, opening for other bands.
In 1986, Manic Subsidal changed their name to The Offspring. They released their first single, "I'll Be Waiting", on their own record company, Black Label. In 1987, drummer James Lilja left to study medicine and was replaced by 16-year-old Ron Welty.
In 1988, The Offspring signed with Nemesis Records. In 1989, they recorded their first album, The Offspring, with producer Thom Wilson. The album was released on vinyl and cassette. After the album, the band went on a six-week national tour.
In 1991, they worked with Wilson again on the Baghdad EP. This EP helped them sign with Epitaph Records. In 1992, they recorded their second album, Ignition, which came out in October. The band then toured the U.S. and Europe.
Smash and Mainstream Success (1994–1995)
In January 1994, The Offspring went back to the studio to record their third album. Three months later, they released Smash. This album became their biggest seller. At first, it didn't get much attention. But then, the song "Come Out and Play" was played on a Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM. This helped the band become famous, and the song reached number one on the Billboard rock charts in the summer of 1994.
The success of "Come Out and Play" made Smash reach number four on the Billboard 200 chart. It also helped bring punk rock into the mainstream. Smash is seen as a breakthrough album for pop-punk and skate punk music. The next two singles, "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away", were also very popular. Smash has sold over 11 million copies worldwide, setting a record for an independent label band. It sold very well in Australia, reaching number one on the ARIA Charts.
The Offspring toured a lot in 1994 and 1995 to support Smash. They opened for bands like Pennywise and Bad Religion. By the summer of 1994, they were headlining their own tours. They played shows in Japan and Australia in 1995. By the end of the tour, The Offspring was playing in bigger venues like theaters and arenas.
In 1995, the band bought the rights to their first album. Holland and Kriesel also started their own record label, Nitro Records. They re-released The Offspring's 1989 debut album. Nitro Records also signed other punk bands like The Vandals and AFI. Later, Holland took full responsibility for Nitro Records.
New Labels and More Hits (1996–2002)
In 1996, after Smash became so popular, The Offspring left Epitaph Records and signed with Columbia Records. The band started writing and recording their fourth album, Ixnay on the Hombre, in 1996. It was released on February 4, 1997. This album sold four million copies and had five singles. It showed the band moving towards more mainstream rock. Dexter Holland said that Ixnay might not have been as popular as Smash because it was different, and fans might have expected Smash Part Two.
In 1998, The Offspring released Americana. Three songs from this album, "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get a Job?", and "The Kids Aren't Alright", became huge hits. "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" topped the charts in nine countries.
In 1999, the band appeared in the movie Idle Hands. They played a cover of "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones. They also performed at Woodstock '99.
In 2000, The Offspring released their sixth album, Conspiracy of One. The band wanted to release the whole album online to support downloading music. However, their record company, Sony, stopped them. Only the first single, "Original Prankster", was released on their website. The band also sold T-shirts with the Napster logo and donated money to Napster's creator.
They also released a song called "Defy You" for the movie Orange County.
Changes in the Band (2003–2005)
On March 16, 2003, it was announced that longtime drummer Ron Welty had left the band. The Offspring then released their seventh album, Splinter. Josh Freese played drums on Splinter. Later, Adam "Atom" Willard became the new drummer. The first single from Splinter, "Hit That", was popular on MTV. This song used electronic sounds, which was new for the band.
In 2005, the band released a Greatest Hits album. It included 14 of their hits and two new songs, "Can't Repeat" and a cover of the Police's "Next to You". The compilation did not include songs from their first two albums. A month later, they released a DVD with all their music videos and live performances.
The band played at the Vans Warped Tour for the first time in 2005. After their "Greatest Hits" tour, the band took a break. During this time, Willard joined Tom DeLonge's band Angels & Airwaves.
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2006–2009)
In November 2006, The Offspring started recording their eighth studio album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, with producer Bob Rock. In July 2007, Dexter Holland announced that the album was being recorded in California.
On July 27, 2007, Pete Parada became The Offspring's new drummer, replacing Atom Willard. Parada's first shows with the band were in Japan in August 2007. They played a new song called "Hammerhead", which became the first single from the new album. Josh Freese played drums on the album because of contract issues with Parada.
The Offspring co-headlined the Australian Soundwave Festival in early 2008.
On April 9, 2008, Dexter Holland announced the album's title, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, and its release date of June 17. The first single, "Hammerhead", was released to radio on May 6. The second single, "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid", topped the rock charts for 11 weeks. It became one of the band's most successful singles.
In April 2008, Epitaph Records re-released Ignition and Smash. Both albums were remastered.
The tour for the album began on May 16. Scott Shiflett filled in for bassist Greg K. for some shows due to a family event. Kriesel returned in mid-June. In October, with touring guitarist Andrew Freeman, the band toured Japan and South America.
In December 2008, The Offspring headlined the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas. In 2009, they toured North America on their "North American Tour" with bands like Dropkick Murphys and Sum 41.
Days Go By (2010–2013)
In May 2010, the band started working on their ninth album with Bob Rock in Hawaii. They recorded on and off for the next year. In June 2010, The Offspring headlined two shows in Canada. They also joined 311 on their summer 2010 Unity Tour across the U.S.
In January 2011, session drummer Josh Freese confirmed he was working with The Offspring again. Ronnie King also played keyboards on the album. The band paused recording in 2011 to tour and play at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
After the tour, the band finished recording the album. They headlined the PunkSpring Festival in Japan in March and April 2012. At one show, they played a new song called "The Future Is Now". They also played at the Rock am Ring/im Park and Novarock festivals in summer 2012.
In March 2012, the band announced the album was finished. On April 20, 2012, they announced their new single "Days Go By" would premiere on April 27. Three days later, they announced Days Go By would be the name of their ninth album, released on June 26, 2012.
In late 2012, The Offspring toured with Neon Trees. They co-headlined the Soundwave festival in Australia in 2013 with Metallica. The Offspring spent much of 2013 playing shows in Europe, the United States, and South America. In November and December 2013, they played the Warped Tour in Australia.
Tours and Music Rights (2014–2016)
The Offspring spent summer 2014 touring to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album Smash. They headlined the Summer Nationals 2014 tour with Bad Religion and Pennywise. For this tour, The Offspring released cover versions of Pennywise's "No Reason Why" and Bad Religion's "Do What You Want" on their YouTube account. These covers were released on the Summer Nationals EP in August 2014. On January 30, 2015, they premiered a new single, "Coming for You". The Offspring toured to support this single and played their 1998 album Americana in full at the Amnesia Rockfest in Canada.
The Offspring got the rights back to their Columbia Records albums in 2014. In January 2016, Round Hill Music bought the band's Columbia Records music and songwriting rights for $35 million. In December 2016, Round Hill made a deal with Universal Music Enterprises to distribute The Offspring's Columbia catalog. By September 2015, the band had finished two or three new songs. On July 20, 2016, a new Offspring song called "Sharknado" was released for the movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.
Let the Bad Times Roll and Member Changes (2017–2021)
Noodles was absent from The Offspring's 2017 tour due to a family matter. Tom Thacker and Jonah Nimoy filled in for him. That year, Holland earned a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Southern California.
On June 9, 2018, The Offspring played a new song, "It Won't Get Better", at the Greenfield Festival in Switzerland. On July 20, 2018, it was announced that The Offspring would release a cover of 311's "Down". This was for the co-headlining Never Ending Summer tour.
In November 2018, founding bassist Greg K. left The Offspring. No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal filled in for him on tours. Later, touring rhythm guitarist Todd Morse became a full-time member, replacing Kriesel. Greg K. later filed a lawsuit against Holland and Wasserman, which was settled out of court in 2023.
On April 21, 2020, The Offspring released a rock cover of Joe Exotic's country song "Here Kitty Kitty". They recorded it while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, Holland confirmed the new album was "basically done" but its release was "on hold" because of the pandemic.
On November 4, 2020, The Offspring released a Christmas song, a cover of Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". On February 23, 2021, The Offspring announced their tenth album, Let the Bad Times Roll, and released the title track as its first single. The album was released on April 16.
On August 2, 2021, Pete Parada announced he had left The Offspring due to differences over health requirements. Holland and Wasserman later said they had to hire other drummers for the safety of their crew on tour. Parada confirmed in March 2023 that he was no longer a member. He formed a new band called the Defiant. Josh Freese replaced Parada on tour.
Supercharged and New Drummer (2022–Present)
In September 2022, Holland confirmed that The Offspring had started working on new music for their eleventh studio album. Holland told Times Colonist in November that the band would begin recording their new album in January 2023 with Bob Rock.
On May 12, 2023, Brandon Pertzborn announced he had joined The Offspring as their new drummer. He replaced Josh Freese, who had commitments with the Foo Fighters. After Pertzborn joined, touring multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy also became an official member of the band. On August 6, 2023, the original Offspring drummer, James Lilja, joined the band on stage for the first time in 36 years to play "Beheaded".
In May 2024, Holland and Noodles confirmed that the band's eleventh studio album was finished. They were working on the cover art and title. The following month, it was announced that the album was called Supercharged and would be released on October 11. The first single from the album, "Make It All Right", was released on June 7.
Band's Music Style
Musical Style and Inspirations
The Offspring is mainly a punk rock band. Their music fits into sub-genres like skate punk, pop-punk, hardcore punk, and melodic hardcore. They have also been described as alternative rock and hard rock. A common feature in their songs is the use of "whoas", "heys", and "yeahs" in the choruses. Some songs also include sounds from Eastern music, like "Tehran" and "Come Out and Play".
Their song lyrics cover many topics. They sing about personal relationships in songs like "She's Got Issues" and "Self Esteem". They also sing about society and politics in songs like "Americana". The lyrics often use sarcasm. The first song on most of The Offspring's albums is an introduction, like "Time to Relax" from Smash and "Welcome" from Americana.
The Offspring has said that many punk bands influenced them. These include the Dickies, the Ramones, the Clash, Bad Religion, and Social Distortion. They also get inspiration from classic rock bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin. Other influences include new wave bands like the B-52s and Devo, and British Invasion groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Impact and Influence
The Offspring's album Smash was a huge success, selling millions of copies and being played worldwide. This album helped bring punk rock back into the mainstream. The Offspring is one of the most popular punk bands from the 1990s. They have influenced many younger artists, including Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan. The Los Angeles radio station KROQ listed The Offspring as one of the top artists from 1980–2008.
The Offspring's music has been featured in many movies. Some examples include Batman Forever, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Varsity Blues, Me, Myself & Irene, American Pie 2, Orange County, and Click. The band also made a cameo appearance in the movie Idle Hands.
Their songs have also appeared in TV shows. "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" was in King of the Hill. "Original Prankster" was in The Cleveland Show. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" and "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" were in 90210.
In video games, The Offspring's songs have been in Crazy Taxi, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, and SingStar Rocks!. "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" is in Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Many of their songs are available to download for the Rock Band series. "Hammerhead" was in Madden NFL 09, and "Days Go By" was in NHL 13. In 2019, the band performed a virtual concert in the game World of Tanks.
"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" was even parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi".
Band Members
Current Members
- Dexter Holland – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar (1984–present), keyboards (2006–present), bass (2018–present)
- Noodles – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1985–present)
- Todd Morse – bass (2019–present), rhythm guitar (2009–2019; as touring musician), backing vocals (2009–present)
- Jonah Nimoy – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2023–present; 2019–2023 as touring musician), percussion (2020–present)
- Brandon Pertzborn – drums (2023–present)
Discography
- The Offspring (1989)
- Ignition (1992)
- Smash (1994)
- Ixnay on the Hombre (1997)
- Americana (1998)
- Conspiracy of One (2000)
- Splinter (2003)
- Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)
- Days Go By (2012)
- Let the Bad Times Roll (2021)
- Supercharged (2024)
Tours
Headlining Tours
- Self Titled Tour (1989)
- Ignition Tour (1992–1993)
- Smash Tour (1994–1996)
- Ixnay on the Hombre Tour (1997)
- Americana Tour (1998–1999)
- Conspiracy of One Tour (2000–2001)
- Splinter Tour (2003–2004)
- Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Tour (2008)
- North American Tour (2009)
- Days Go By Tour (2012–2013)
- Smash: 20th Anniversary Tour (2014)
- Let the Bad Times Roll Tour (2021–2023)
- Supercharged Worldwide in '25 (2025–present)
Co-headlining Tours
- Unity Tour (with 311) (2010)
- US + Canada Tour (with Sublime with Rome) (2017)
- Never-Ending Summer Tour (with 311) (2018)
Festival Tours
- Warped Tour (2005, 2013, 2019)
Awards
- List of awards and nominations received by the Offspring
Further Viewing
- The Offspring: Complete Music Video Collection (2005)
See also
In Spanish: The Offspring para niños
