The Offspring

USA, 1984–now

California punk band formed in 1984 by Dexter Holland and Noodles. Their 1994 album Smash — 'Come Out and Play', 'Self Esteem' — became the best-selling independent-label album ever and, alongside Green Day, carried punk into the 1990s mainstream.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced The Offspring and 2 artists The Offspring influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced The Offspring?

• Bad Religion — The Offspring came up alongside Bad Religion on Epitaph Records and modelled their melodic-punk attack on them.
• Ramones — Like the whole 1990s California punk wave, the Offspring's fast, catchy songs descend from the Ramones.

Which artists did The Offspring influence?

• Sum 41 — The other Californian band on the same radio in the same years, and the one whose sense of a hook Sum 41 took furthest.
• Simple Plan — The Offspring's melodic Californian punk is among the genre forebears behind Simple Plan's sound.