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. Anne introduced her brother to DeLonge on August 2, 1992. 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". The trio began to practice together in Raynor's bedroom, spending time writing music, seeing movies and punk concerts, and playing practical jokes. The trio first operated under a variety of names, including Duck Tape and Figure 8, until DeLonge rechristened the band "Blink". 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. 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. The band began booking shows, and were on stage nearly every weekend, even at
Elks Lodges and
YMCA centers. 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. Meanwhile, Hoppus' manager at the record store, Patrick Secor, fronted the group money to properly record another demo at a local studio Doubletime. The result was
Buddha (1994), which the members of the band viewed as the band's first legitimate release. 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.
Early releases and touring (1995–1998) during their early years. 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 was the only member to sign the contract, as DeLonge was at work at the time and Raynor was still a
minor. 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. "
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. 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. The band soon hired a manager, Rick DeVoe, who had worked with larger bands such as
NOFX,
Pennywise and
the Offspring. 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". 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. 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.
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. MCA promised the group complete artistic freedom and ultimately signed the band, but Raynor held a great affinity for Epitaph and began to feel half-invested in the band when they chose MCA. 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. 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. 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.
Travis Barker, drummer for tour-mate
the Aquabats, filled in for Raynor, learning the 20-song setlist in 45 minutes before the first show. By July, he joined the band full-time At the onset of the millennium, the band became one of the biggest international rock acts with the release of their third album, the fast-paced, melodic
Enema of the State (1999). Singles "
What's My Age Again?", "
All the Small Things", and "
Adam's Song" became radio staples, with their
music videos and relationship with
MTV cementing their stardom. It marked the beginning of their friendship with producer Jerry Finn, a key architect of their "polished" pop-punk rhythm; according to journalist James Montgomery, writing for
MTV News, the veteran engineer "served as an invaluable member of the Blink team: part adviser, part impartial observer, he helped smooth out tensions and hone their
multiplatinum sound." This style and sound made for an extensive impact on pop punk, igniting a new wave of the genre. It became a transitionary time for the group, adjusting to larger venues than before, including
amphitheaters,
arenas, and
stadiums. At the beginning of the album's promotional cycle, the trio were driving from show to show in a van with a trailer attached for merchandise and equipment; by its end, they were flying on
private jets. Hoppus recalled that "we had gone from playing small clubs and sleeping on people's floors to headlining amphitheaters and staying in
five-star hotels." In the public eye, Blink became known for their juvenile antics, including running around nude; the band made a
cameo appearance in the similarly bawdy comedy
American Pie (1999). This goofy branding, encompassing video documentaries and merchandise, "made fans feel like members of their extended social circle", according to music critic
Kelefa Sanneh.—they gradually became unhappy with their public image. In one instance, the European arm of UMG had taken photos shot lampooning
boy bands and distributed them at face value, making their basis for parody appear thin. In response, a conscious effort was made to make the trio appear more authentic with their next album—the comically titled
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001). It became the first punk rock album to reach number one in the U.S., and spawned the singles "
The Rock Show", "
First Date", and "
Stay Together for the Kids". The relentless pace began to wear on the group: they felt rushed into making a follow-up album, with record executives reportedly penalizing the group if they did not "make their quarterly revenue statements." Meanwhile, with time off from touring, DeLonge felt a desire to broaden his musical palette. He channeled his chronic back pain and resulting frustration into
Box Car Racer (2002), a project emulating
post-hardcore influences. Finn naturally returned to produce and DeLonge invited Barker to record drums, leaving Hoppus the odd man out. It marked a major rift in their friendship: while DeLonge claimed that the omission was not intentional, Hoppus nonetheless felt betrayed. With
A&R representatives from MCA eager to market a new band by the guitarist, Box Car Racer quickly evolved into a full-fledged side project, launching two national tours throughout 2002. In the meantime, Barker also extended his love of
hip-hop into the
rap rock outfit
Transplants, a collaboration with
Rancid's
Tim Armstrong. the new
untitled album—was released in November 2003 through
Geffen Records, which absorbed sister label MCA earlier that year. Critics generally complimented the new, more
emo direction taken for the album, and lead singles "
Feeling This" and "
I Miss You" were well received. The global touring schedule, which saw the band travel to
Japan and
Australia, also found the three performing for troops stationed in the
Persian Gulf during the first year of the
Iraq War. The band came to regard this period as a "huge turning point" in their career, marking a change in the way they write and record music, as well as view themselves. As the aughts wore on however, unresolved tensions within the trio—stemming from the gruelling schedule, Box Car Racer, and DeLonge's desire to spend more time with his family—became evident.
Hiatus, side projects, and Barker's plane crash (2005–2008) In February 2005, a press statement announced the band's "indefinite hiatus"; the band had broken up after members' arguments regarding their future and recording process. DeLonge felt increasingly conflicted both about his creative freedom within the group and the toll touring was taking on his family life. He expressed his desire to take a half-year respite from touring; Hoppus and Barker felt that was overly long. Rehearsals for a benefit concert grew contentious, rooted in the trio's increasing bitterness toward one another; DeLonge considered his bandmates' priorities incompatible, coming to the conclusion that they had simply grown apart. Hoppus and Barker made
one album with their next outfit,
+44. Barker remained particularly famous; his rocky relationship with former
Miss USA Shanna Moakler, chronicled in his MTV
reality series Meet the Barkers, made them
tabloid favorites. DeLonge and Hoppus did not speak from the band's breakup until 2008. That August, former producer and mentor Jerry Finn suffered a
cerebral hemorrhage and died. The following month, Barker and collaborator
Adam Goldstein were involved in a
plane crash that killed four people, leaving them the only two survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns and developed
post-traumatic stress disorder, and the accident resulted in sixteen surgeries and multiple
blood transfusions. Goldstein's injuries were less severe, but less than a year later, he died from a drug overdose. The three opened up, discussing the events of the hiatus and their break-up, and DeLonge was the first to approach the subject of reuniting.
Reunion (2009–2014) After five years apart, the band appeared on stage together as presenters at the February
2009 Grammy Awards to announce their reunion. The trio embarked on a successful
reunion tour of North America from July to October 2009, with a European trek following from August to September 2010. Barker, suffering from a
fear of flying after his accident, travelled via bus domestically and in Canada, and by an
ocean liner for overseas dates. The recording process for
Neighborhoods (2011), the band's sixth studio album, was stalled by its studio autonomy, tours, managers, and personal projects. DeLonge recorded at his studio in
San Diego while Hoppus and Barker recorded in Los Angeles—an extension of their strained communication. The self-produced album—their first without Jerry Finn since
Dude Ranch its singles, "
Up All Night" and "
After Midnight", only attracted modest chart success. Pop punk was in a period of diminished commercial relevance, and label
Interscope—now their home after a series of corporate mergers The band continued to tour in the early 2010s, "despite growing evidence of remaining friction" between the members, according to
AllMusic biographer John Bush. They headlined the
10th Annual Honda Civic Tour in North America in 2011 with
My Chemical Romance, and launched a
20th Anniversary Tour the next year. For that tour, the band played in Europe twice, North America, and Australia; drummer
Brooks Wackerman filled-in for Barker, as he was not yet ready to fly. Additionally, the trio pursued a tenth anniversary celebration of the untitled album with a series of shows, and played the
Reading and Leeds Festivals; it was the band's fourth appearance at the festival and second headlining slot. The band also parted ways with long-time label UMG,
self-releasing their next project,
Dogs Eating Dogs, an
EP. This initial reunion of the band has been characterized as dysfunctional by both Barker and DeLonge. In his memoir,
Can I Say, Barker claims DeLonge's behavior on tour was "introverted" until "money started coming in," after which "he'd get excited about Blink." He states DeLonge abruptly quit sometime in mid-2014, and re-joined the following day.
DeLonge's second exit and Matt Skiba era (2015–2020) , in July 2016 The group planned to begin writing their seventh album in January 2015, which had continually seen delays. "I'd do interviews and I just felt awful for fans because they were promised albums for years and we couldn't do it", Barker later said. In his own statement, DeLonge remarked that he "Never planned on quitting, [I] just find it hard as hell to commit." For the rest of the 2010s, DeLonge focused on his company
To the Stars... Academy of Arts & Sciences full-time, devoted to investigating
UFOs. Hoppus and Barker decided to continue on without DeLonge, and enlisted
Alkaline Trio vocalist/guitarist
Matt Skiba to "fill in" for three shows in March 2015. Hoppus and Skiba had been wanting to work together musically for several years, so he was the first and only person considered for the role. After legal battles with DeLonge were worked out, Skiba joined Blink-182 as an official member and began preparations for new music. The resulting album,
California, was produced by
John Feldmann, the group's first new producer since long-time collaborator Jerry Finn. Upon its July 2016 release though BMG,
California became the band's second number-one album on the
Billboard 200, and first in 15 years; it also topped the charts for the first time in the United Kingdom. Its lead single, "
Bored to Death", became their biggest hit in years, marking their third domestic chart-topper on the
Alternative Songs chart. Both the single and album became their first gold-certified releases in over a decade, with the LP earning the band their first
Grammy Award nomination. The band supported the album with a
large headlining tour across North America between July and October 2016, and a European leg in June and July 2017. A double-disc deluxe edition of
California was issued in 2017. During these years, the band was active in collaborating with a variety of outside artists, sometimes without Skiba's involvement; the group jointly issued singles with
XXXTentacion,
Lil Wayne,
Goody Grace,
Steve Aoki,
Powfu,
Oliver Tree, and
the Chainsmokers. In 2018, after the tour supporting
California, Hoppus formed the spin-off project
Simple Creatures with
All Time Low frontman
Alex Gaskarth. Blink-182 moved back to a major label,
Columbia, for their eighth studio effort,
Nine (2019). While
Nine builds upon their partnership with Feldmann, it also utilizes additional outside producers and songwriters. Musically, the LP augments the band's pop punk sound with hip hop-inspired programming, as well as electronics. The promotional cycle for
NINE was stunted by the onset of the global
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; a planned tour with
the Used was shelved, with live concerts considered unsafe. The band responded with the release of "
Quarantine", though the track—credited only to Barker, Hoppus, and other songwriters—raised questions about Skiba's continued involvement in the band. A partially completed EP did not see release, and the band's last performance with Skiba, a pre-pandemic gig at
iHeartRadio's 2020 ALTer EGO, took place in Los Angeles on January 18, 2020.
Hoppus' cancer battle and DeLonge's second return (2021–present) On June 23, 2021, Hoppus confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had been receiving treatment in secret for the last three months. After his cancer diagnosis, it was reported by sources that Hoppus had met with DeLonge and Barker together at his home to discuss old problems, personal issues, and Hoppus' cancer diagnosis. Hoppus was declared cancer-free later that year, but would continue
screening every six months. Soon after, the three decided that the time was right for DeLonge to make his return to the band. Public speculation around DeLonge's return to the band peaked in October 2022 when the band deleted all of its prior social media posts and began posting cryptic messages. On October 11, 2022, the band announced DeLonge's official return, a forthcoming album, and a world tour that would last two years. Skiba's departure was effectively confirmed, as he was absent in the promotional material. Following his return, DeLonge messaged Skiba on Instagram to thank him for his time with the band, and later shared the post publicly on his account. Skiba had known an announcement was going to happen, but was unaware that it was regarding DeLonge's return. In the months prior, he had also begun to question his status in the band when a fan asked him if he was still a part of recording. When the announcement was made, Skiba congratulated the other members and thanked fans for his time with the band. The announcement of DeLonge's return was also accompanied by a new single, "
Edging" later that week. The song performed well in the US, becoming their fourth and longest-running number one hit on
Billboard's
Alternative Airplay chart, and their highest-charting single on the
Hot 100 in eighteen years. The following year, the band's ninth studio album,
One More Time..., was released on October 20, 2023. The album proved successful both commercially and critically, becoming their third number-one album on the
Billboard 200 in the U.S., and critics celebrating the band's back-to-basics approach. Many of the singles and other songs also saw similar success, such as the
title track becoming the band's longest-running number one single on the Alternative Airplay chart domestically. A year later, the band released a deluxe edition of the album called
One More Time... Part-2 on September 6, 2024. In August 2024, DeLonge stated that while they intended to take a break once the tour concluded, the band will "be the priority forever [...] Honestly, I think this is a whole new beginning for the band. With what we’re planning on doing, who we’ve become, and how we’re doing it now I think it’s really, really exciting." On February 13, 2025, during a
Los Angeles wildfire benefit show at the
Los Angeles'
Hollywood Palladium, Skiba joined the band on stage to perform "Bored to Death." Skiba would later join the band on stage occasionally during the
Missionary Impossible tour. In March and April 2025, both DeLonge and Hoppus stated that the band was working on new material for an upcoming album. The band co-headlined
Riot Fest in September 2025
Chicago along with
"Weird Al" Yankovic,
Green Day,
Jack White,
Weezer, and
Idles. ==Artistry==