The
new-school
punk
trio
blink-182
was
formed
near
San
Diego
California
around
guitarist/vocalist
Tom
Delonge
bassist
Mark
Hoppus
and
drummer
Scott
Raynor.
Originally
known
as
simply
Blink
the
band
debuted
in
1993
with
a
self-released
EP
Fly
Swatter.
After
releasing
the
album
Buddha
in
1994
the
trio
signed
to
Grilled
Cheese/Cargo
and
released
Cheshire
Cat
the
following
year.
The
threat
of
a
lawsuit
from
a
similarly
named
Irish
band
forced
them
to
change
their
name
to
blink-182
but
the
group
earned
a
higher
profile
touring
the
world
with
Pennywise
and
NOFX
on
the
1996-1997
Warped
Tour
plus
appearing
on
innumerable
skate/surf/snowboarding
videos.
The
third
blink-182
LP
Dude
Ranch
was
released
in
1997.
Dude
Ranch
expanded
the
group's
audience
and
won
the
attention
of
major
labels.
blink-182
wound
up
signing
with
MCA
who
released
the
band's
fourth
album
Enema
of
the
State
in
the
summer
of
1999.
Travis
Barker
formerly
with
the
Aquabats
later
replaced
Raynor.
After
selling
over
four
million
copies
of
Enema
of
the
State
the
trio
played
on
with
the
limited
edition
release
The
Mark
Tom
and
Travis
Show
(The
Enema
Strikes
Back)
in
fall
2000.
The
album
featured
the
band's
radio
hits
in
a
live
setting
intertwined
with
their
quirky
sense
of
humor
as
well
as
the
new
song
"Man
Overboard."
Take
Off
Your
Pants
and
Jacket
issued
in
spring
2001
saw
the
band
return
to
their
SoCal
punk
rock
roots.
Maturity
of
a
sort
came
with
2003's
self-titled
album
released
on
Geffen.