Formed in 1984 by singer/guitarist Dexter Holland and bassist Greg K, the band went by the name Manic
      Subsidal at first. Holland and Greg K were joined by fellow Orange County scenesters "Noodles"
 Wasserman on guitar and Ron Welty on drums, and Manic Subsidal changed its name to the Offspring. A
                     self-titled debut album was released in 1989 on Nemesis Records.

The Offspring subsequently signed to the powerhouse punk label Epitaph Records and released Ignition in
  1993. The album earned an underground following for the band, whose sound was becoming hook-laden
  enough to appeal to mainstream listeners while retaining enough of an edge to keep punk fans happy.
      The band was recruited by major labels but chose to remain with Epitaph for their next album.

    The Offspring found just the right combination of catchiness and crunchiness on 1994's Smash. The
   album's first single, "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," was added by influential Los Angeles
   radio station KROQ, and its chanted vocal hook coupled with a vaguely Middle Eastern guitar melody
  quickly spread to radio stations nationwide. Follow-up singles "Self-Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away" also
                            were hits, and Smash went platinum and then some.

  When the dust settled, Smash had sold some 4 million copies, the most ever for an indie label album.
 Major labels came calling again, and this time, after months of deliberation, the Offspring decided to sign
 with Columbia Records. The move created a significant backlash within the punk community, as several of
   their former labelmates and Epitaph owner Brett Gurewitz publicly criticized the band. The Offspring's
 Columbia debut, Ixnay on the Hombre, was finally released in February 1997 after a long delay caused by
     the label switch. The album received good reviews but did not match the sales figures of Smash.

          The Offspring's latest album, Americana, was released in November 1998 on Columbia.

[Discography]

Albums:

   Offspring (1989)
      Jennifer Lost The War
      Elders
      Out On Patrol
      Crossroads
      Demons
      Beheaded
      Tehran
      A Thousand Days
      Black Ball
      I'll Be Waiting
      Kill The President

   Ignition (1993)
      Session
      We Are One
      Kick Him When He's Down
      Take It Like A Man
      Get It Right
      Dirty Magic
      Hypodermic
      Burn It Up
      No Hero
      L.A.P.D.
      Nothing From Something
      Forever And A Day

   Smash (1994)
      Time To Relax
      Nitro (Youth Energy)
      Bad Habit
      Gotta Get Away
      Genocide
      Something To Believe In
      Come Out And Play
      Self Esteem
      It'll Be A Long Time
      Killboy Powerhead
      What Happened To You?
      So Alone
      Not The One
      Smash

   Ixnay on the Hombre (1997)
      Disclaimer
      The Meaning Of Life
      Mota
      Me & My Old Lady
      Cool To Hate
      Leave It Behind
      Gone Away
      I Choose
      Intermission
      All I Want
      Way Down The Line
      Don't Pick It Up
      Amazed
      Change The World

   Americana (1998)
      Welcome
      Have You Ever
      Staring At The Sun
      Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
      The Kids Aren't Alright
      Feelings
      She's Got Issues
      Walla Walla
      The End Of The Line
      No Brakes
      Why Don't You Get A Job
      Americana
      Pay The Man