Blink-182 are an American pop punk band from Poway, California formed in 1992. Consisting of Mark Hoppus (bass, vocals), Tom DeLonge (guitar, vocals), and Travis Barker (drums), the group is a pioneering act for the pop punk genre.
After playing local shows around California, Blink-182 signed with independent label Cargo Records, where they would record their debut record, Cheshire Cat (1995) before going on their first world tour, which included some shows on the Warped Tour. After gaining notoriety from an array of labels, Blink-182 would move on from Cargo and join MCA in 1996. That same year would see the release of their second project, Dude Ranch, which would be certified gold in 1998.
1999 would be the year Blink-182 became a household name, as their third album, Enema of the State, would release in June of that year. With singles like “All the Small Things,” “Adam’s Song,” and “What’s My Age Again?,” the band saw charting success, as “All the Small Things” would reach No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself would reach No. 9 on the Billboard 200.
After another tour, the band returned with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), which only solidified Blink-182’s popularity. It earned them their first No. 1 album, while also producing singles such as “Stay Together for the Kids” and “The Rock Show.” The year 2002 saw DeLonge and Barker branch off as Box Car Racer, a project that did not feature Hoppus on it, leading to added tension among the band. Blink would return with another album -- their self-titled project -- in 2003, before going on a hiatus.
During their break, members of Blink-182 went on different career ventures, which included forming new bands. DeLonge created Angels & Airwaves and released two albums with his new outfit, while Barker and Hoppus formed +44, dropping one album with the group. The band would eventually come together following a plane crash that Barker was involved in, where the topic of reuniting came up.
Blink-182 announced their reunion at the 2009 Grammy Awards before their world reunion tour. They would return to the studio to work on their sixth album, Neighborhoods (2011), bringing Blink-182 back onto the charts, with the album debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. They would then self-release their next project, Dogs Eating Dogs (2012), before DeLonge would leave the group again.
From 2015 to 2022, Blink included Matt Skiba, with whom Barker and Hoppus recorded two albums, 2016’s California and 2019’s Nine, with the trio touring in support of both. California became the band’s seventh studio album, and earned them their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album.
Other than the 2020 single “Quarantine,” the group was largely silent throughout the coronavirus pandemic on the music front, though Hoppus opened up on social media about a battle with cancer.
After speculations from fans, Barker and Hoppus announced that the group would be reuniting with DeLonge once again, with a new track, “Edging,” set to release on October 14th, 2022, as well as their first tour together in close to a decade.
