Blink-182 is an American rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and most widely recognized line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its sound has diversified throughout their career, its musical style, described as pop-punk, blends catchy pop melodies with fast-paced punk rock. Its lyrics primarily focus on relationships, adolescent frustration, and maturity, or lack thereof. The group emerged from a suburban, Southern California skate punk scene and first gained notoriety for high-energy live shows and irreverent humor.
With founding drummer Scott Raynor, the band's debut, Cheshire Cat, and second studio album, Dude Ranch, were released in 1995 and 1997 respectively, through independent imprint Grilled Cheese, a subdivision of Cargo Records. These releases helped the band gain moderate success around the local San Diego punk scene and abroad (namely Australia), which brought attention from major labels amid the punk rock resurgence on a mainstream scale post-Dookie. Raynor was dismissed in mid-1998 and replaced by Barker. After years of independent recording and touring, including stints on the Warped Tour, the group signed to MCA Records. Its third and fourth albums—Enema of the State (1999) and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)—had the greatest commercial success while the singles "All the Small Things", "Dammit", and "What's My Age Again?" became hit songs and MTV staples. This period of their career is credited with popularizing a new wave of pop-punk music in the mainstream.
Later efforts, including an untitled album (2003), Neighborhoods (2011), and an EP Dogs Eating Dogs (2012), marked stylistic shifts. DeLonge left the group twice, a decade apart, before returning again, making Hoppus the only member to remain in the band throughout its history. During DeLonge's absence from 2015 to 2022, the band included Alkaline Trio singer and guitarist Matt Skiba, with whom it recorded two albums, California (2016), and Nine (2019), and toured in support of both. Following DeLonge’s return to the band in 2022, their ninth album, One More Time..., was released on October 20, 2023.
Blink-182's straightforward approach and simple arrangements, which helped initiate pop-punk's second mainstream rise, made it popular among generations of audiences. The group has sold 50 million albums worldwide and 15.3 million in the U.S.
History Formation and initial years (1992–1994)
Blink-182 was formed in August 1992 in Poway, California, a northern suburb of San Diego County. Guitarist Tom DeLonge was expelled from Poway High School for being drunk at a basketball game and was forced to attend another school, Rancho Bernardo High School, for one semester. There, he performed at a Battle of the Bands competition, where he was introduced to drummer Scott Raynor. He also befriended Kerry Key, who was also interested in punk rock music. Key was dating Anne Hoppus, sister of bassist Mark Hoppus, who had recently moved from Ridgecrest, California, to work at a record store and attend college. Both Hoppus and DeLonge grew up listening to punk rock music, with both particularly enamored by bands like Screeching Weasel and the Descendents. Southern California had a large punk population in the early 1990s, aided by an active surfing, skating, and snowboarding scene. In contrast to East Coast punk music, the West Coast wave of groups typically introduced more melodic aspects. "New York is gloomy, dark and cold. It makes different music. The Californian middle-class suburbs have nothing to be that bummed about", said DeLonge.Shooman, 2010. pp. 18–19
Anne introduced her brother to DeLonge on August 2, 1992.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 8–9 The pair instantly connected and played for hours in DeLonge's garage, exchanging lyrics and co-writing songs—one of which became fan favorite "Carousel". Hoppus, hoping to impress DeLonge, fell from a lamppost in front of DeLonge's home and cracked his ankles, putting him on crutches for three weeks.Shooman, 2010. pp. 10–11 The trio began to practice together in Raynor's bedroom, spending time writing music, seeing movies and punk concerts, and playing practical jokes.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 10–11 The trio first operated under a variety of names, including Duck Tape and Figure 8, until DeLonge rechristened the band "Blink".Shooman, 2010. pp. 13–14 Hoppus' girlfriend at the time was annoyed by his constant attention to the band, and demanded he make a choice between the band and her, which resulted in Hoppus leaving the band not long after its formation.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 13–15 Shortly thereafter, DeLonge and Raynor borrowed a four-track recorder from friend and collaborator Cam Jones and were preparing to record a demo tape, with Jones on bass. Hoppus promptly broke up with his girlfriend and returned to the band. Flyswatter—a combination of original songs and punk covers—was recorded in Raynor's bedroom in May 1993.Hoppus, 2001. p. 16
The band began booking shows, and were on stage nearly every weekend, even at Elks Lodges and YMCA centers. DeLonge constantly called clubs in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as local high schools, convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strong antidrug message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.Hoppus, 2001. p. 21-23 San Diego at this time was "hardly a hotbed of [musical] activity", according to journalist Joe Shooman and the band's popularity grew as did punk rock concurrently in the mainstream. They quickly became part of a circuit that also included bands such as Ten Foot Pole and Unwritten Law, and Blink soon found its way onto the bill as the opening band for acts performing at Soma, a local all-ages venue. "The biggest dreams we ever had when we started was to [headline] a show at Soma", Hoppus said later. Meanwhile, Hoppus' manager at the record store, Patrick Secor, fronted the group money to properly record another demo at a local studio Doubletime.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 24–27 The result was Buddha (1994), which the members of the band viewed as the band's first legitimate release. That year, however, Raynor's family relocated to Reno, Nevada, and he was briefly replaced by musician Mike Krull.Shooman, 2010. p. 24 The band saved money and began flying Raynor out to shows, and he eventually moved back and in with Hoppus in mid-1995. During that time, the band would record its first album, first music video, and develop a larger following.Hoppus, 2001. p. 28
Early releases and touring (1995–1998)
The heart of the local independent music scene was Cargo Records, which offered to sign the band on a "trial basis", with help from O, guitarist for local punk band Fluf, and Brahm Goodis, a friend of the band whose father was president of the label.Hoppus, 2001. p. 29 Hoppus was the only member to sign the contract, as DeLonge was at work at the time and Raynor was still a minor.Hoppus, 2001. p. 30 The band recorded their debut album—Cheshire Cat, released in February 1995—in three days at Westbeach Recorders in Los Angeles, fueled by both new songs and re-recordings of songs from previous demos.Hoppus, 2001. p. 31 "M+M's", the band's first single, garnered local radio airplay from 91X, and Cargo offered the band a small budget to film a music video for it.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 35–36 Meanwhile, the record also drew the attention of Irish band Blink. Unwilling to engage in a legal battle, the band agreed to change their name. Cargo gave the band a week, but the trio put off the decision for more than two afterward. Eventually, Cargo called the trio, demanding that they "change the name or [we'll] change it for you", after which the band decided on a random number, 182.. The number 182 was decided one night when Tom and Mark were skateboarding in Poway. Mark rode up and said, “How about 182? We just put that on the end there.” Tom asked, “Why 182?” and Mark responded, “I don’t know, it’s kind of a cool number.”
The band soon hired a manager, Rick DeVoe, who had worked with larger bands such as NOFX, Pennywise and the Offspring.Hoppus, 2001. p. 39 In addition, the group drew the attention of Rick and Jean Bonde of the Tahoe booking agency, who were responsible for "spreading the name of the band far and wide".Shooman, 2010. pp. 32–33 In late 1995, the trio embarked on their first national tour, promoting the surf video Good Times with Unwritten Law, Sprung Monkey and 7 Seconds. Good Times was directed by filmmaker Taylor Steele, who was a friend of DeVoe. In preparation for the trek, the band members purchased their own tour van, which they nicknamed the Millennium Falcon.Hoppus, 2001. p. 44 The Good Times tour extended outside the States with a leg in Australia; the trio were financially unable to go, but Pennywise's members paid for their plane tickets.Hoppus, 2001. pp. 52–53 Fletcher Dragge, guitarist of Pennywise, believed in the band strongly. He demanded that Kevin Lyman, founder of the traveling rock-based Warped Tour, sign the band for its 1996 iteration, predicting they would become "gigantic". That year, the band toured heavily, with several domestic shows on and off the Warped Tour, trips to Canada and Japan, and more Australian dates. Australia was particularly receptive to the band and their humorous stage antics, which gained the band a reputation, but also made them ostracized and considered a joke.
By March 1996, the trio began to accumulate a genuine buzz among major labels, resulting in a bidding war between Interscope, MCA and Epitaph.Shooman, 2010. p. 37 MCA promised the group complete artistic freedom and ultimately signed the band,Hoppus, 2001. p. 64 but Raynor held a great affinity for Epitaph and began to feel half-invested in the band when they chose MCA.Shooman, 2010. p. 55 The group, discouraged by Cargo's lack of distribution and faith in the group, held no qualms about signing to a major label but were fiercely criticized in the punk community.Footman, 2002. p. 44Hoppus, 2001. p. 61 After nonstop touring, the trio began recording their follow-up LP, Dude Ranch, over the period of a month in late 1996 with producer Mark Trombino.Hoppus, 2001. p. 69 The record was released the following June, and the band headed out on the 1997 Warped Tour. "Dammit", the album's second single, received heavy airplay on modern rock stations. Dude Ranch shipped gold by 1998, but an exhaustive touring schedule brought tensions among the trio. Raynor had been drinking heavily to offset personal issues, and he was fired by DeLonge and Hoppus in mid-1998 despite agreeing to attend rehab and quit drinking, although Hoppus claimed in his memoir that Raynor had chosen to quit voluntarily.Shooman, 2010. p. 56 Travis Barker, drummer for tour-mate the Aquabats, filled in for Raynor, learning the 20-song setlist in 45 minutes before the first show.Hoppus, 2001. p. 85 By July, he joined the band full-time and later that year, the band entered the studio with producer Jerry Finn to begin work on their third album.
Mainstream breakthrough and continued success (1999–2004)