In 1983, the American band The Melvins was founded. Normally a trio, they have recently expanded to a four-piece set with two drummers. Buzz Osborne (commonly known as King Buzzo), the band's singer and guitarist, and Dale Crover, its drummer, have been its constant members since 1984. The supervisor at a Thriftway in Montesano, Washington, where Osborne also worked as a clerk, inspired the band's moniker. Other coworkers hated Melvin, and the band members thought his moniker was appropriately ludicrous.

Black Flag's fusion of punk and metal on their albums My War and Slip It In, as well as other slow punk bands like Flipper and the Wipers, as well as hard rock and metal bands like Kiss and Alice Cooper, are influences on The Melvins' music. However, due to their eccentric approach, peculiar sense of humor, and experimentation, they are difficult to neatly categorize. Buzzo has also said that Black Flag, more than Black Sabbath, with whom they are frequently associated, has had a greater influence on his guitar style.

They occasionally prefer slower tempos, and their drab sound had a significant impact on Seattle-based bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Green River, and many others who played in the grunge genre. These bands, however, tended to pair this sound with more traditional musical frameworks. Many bands outside of the Seattle grunge scene have been affected by the Melvins, such as Tool (who are close friends with the band), Boris (whose name was inspired by a Melvins song), Mastodon, Neurosis, Eyehategod, and Isis..

How to hire The Melvins for an event