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American punk rock band

Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Illinois. The band was formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead. Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have reformed several times with lineup changes. Ben Weasel has been the only constant member, though Jughead was present in every incarnation of the band until 2009. Other prominent members include guitarist/bassist Dan Vapid and drummer Dan Panic, who have each appeared on six of the band's studio albums, and Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt who appeared on one. Screeching Weasel has recorded 14 studio albums so far, splitting time between a number of famous independent record labels such as Lookout! Records and Fat Wreck Chords. Despite never achieving mainstream success, a number of largely popular acts cite them as influential.

The band originally called themselves All Night Garage Sale but changed their name to Screeching Weasel, a variation of a name a friend had suggested, Screaming Otter, which was a reference to a T shirt that read, "I've got a screaming otter in my pants!". who then was replaced by Brian Vermin. Boogadaboogadaboogada! was released in late 1988 on Roadkill Records, a label formed by David Best. After what Weasel described as a "disastrous" tour, Fish left the group and was replaced by Dan Schafer, originally nicknamed "Sewercap" and later renamed Danny Vapid. The new band members recorded an extended play entitled Punkhouse for Limited Potential Records soon after that. The band ended up recording four more songs in 1989 that were featured on compilations, featuring a second guitarist Doug Ward, who also joined the band for several live performances. Screeching Weasel disbanded when Vermin and Vapid stated that they wanted to leave the band to concentrate on their side project, Sludgeworth.

After the break up, Weasel and Jughead formed a new band called The Gore Gore Girls, and Ben briefly performed in the original incarnation of The Vindictives. On December 29, 1990, the members of Screeching Weasel reunited for what was intended as a one off gig to pay off debts the band incurred from the recordings of Boogadaboogadaboogada! and Punkhouse ep. The lineup consisted of Ben, Jughead, Vapid, Vermin, and Ward. After the show, Vapid discussed the idea of reforming Screeching Weasel with Jughead. All of the band's members agreed to reform, with the exceptions of Brian Vermin and Douglas Ward. To replace Vermin, drummer Dan Panic (Dan Sullivan) was brought in. Before recording their third studio album, My Brain Hurts (1991) for Lookout! Records, Weasel decided that he wanted to focus on singing and would no longer be playing guitar in the band. Vapid switched instruments from bass to guitar, and former Gore Gore Girls bassist Dave Naked joined the band. The recording sessions for the album also produced the extended play Pervo Devo. After recording My Brain Hurts, Dave Naked was fired from the band and Scott "Gub" Conway, Panic's former bandmate, was brought in as the band's bassist to tour. After the tour, Johnny Personality of The Vindictives became the band's bassist, as Gub was committed to another band. By late 1992, the band had recorded the follow up to My Brain Hurts, Wiggle, which also marked their first collaboration with producer Mass Giorgini, who also became the bassist of the band from 1998 to 2004. Personality then left the band to focus on The Vindictives. Instead of adding a new member, Weasel moved back to guitar, and Vapid moved back to bass. The band was then asked to record a cover of an entire Ramones album, Ramones (1992), followed later that year by Anthem for a New Tomorrow. Shortly after the record's release, Weasel decided that he no longer wanted to perform live, and Vapid left after falling out with Ben. After the release of How to Make Enemies and Irritate People (1994), the band broke up for the second time.

Following the second breakup, Weasel, Vapid, and Panic formed the band the Riverdales and experienced some notoriety touring with Green Day. By 1996, they rejoined with Jughead and recorded a new Screeching Weasel album Bark Like a Dog for Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, making it their highest charting album. However, both Vapid and Panic left by mutual decision after the recording, and Weasel and Jughead decided to go on without them, adding bassist Mass Giorgini and drummer Dan Lumley, both from Squirtgun. Weasel also decided for the second time that he no longer wanted to play guitar, so guitarist Zac Damon was added. In 1998, the group's new lineup recorded the Major Label Debut EP; the first release on Panic Button Records, a label Ben and John had formed that year and quickly followed it with Television City Dream. Their next release, 1999's Emo, featured the same lineup minus Zac Damon, who was unable to record due to school commitments at the time. In 2000 the band brought in Phillip Hill as a second guitarist and recorded what was intended to be their final album, Teen Punks in Heat. After the album, Screeching Weasel made their first live appearances since 1993, playing 30 minute matinees at Chicago's House of Blues. The band broke up for the third—and allegedly final—time on July 6, 2001, due to Jughead's frustration of a lack of touring.

After the third breakup, Jughead started a new band called Even in Blackouts, while Weasel released a solo album titled Fidatevi, and new Riverdales album, Phase Three. Both Weasel and Jughead authored books seemingly related to Screeching Weasel. In 2001, Ben Weasel published Like Hell, the account of a fictional punk band called Pagan Icons and the life of their frontman, Joe Pagan. Jughead released Weasels in a Box, his admittedly fictionalized account of Screeching Weasel's history. Both books were published by Hope And Nonthings, a publishing house run by Jughead. Jughead also continued his membership with the Neo Futurists, a theater group he has written and performed with since 1997, appearing in a show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. In 2004, Ben reclaimed all of the Screeching Weasel masters from Lookout! Records in the wake of long running financial and personal conflicts. The masters were subsequently licensed to and reissued by Asian Man Records. That same year a lineup consisting of Ben Weasel, Jughead, and multi year Screeching Weasel veterans Dan Vapid, Mass Giorgini, and Dan Lumley came together to play surprise sets at the Chicago club The Fireside Bowl. According to Ben Weasel, there was an intention to tour that year, but "the offers just weren't there". Ben released a second solo album, These Ones Are Bitter, in 2007, and gave his first solo live performance at that year's Insubordination Fest in Baltimore. During his set, backed up by The Guts, he was joined on stage by Dan Vapid for several Screeching Weasel and Riverdales songs. Ben Weasel and Dan Vapid also played two shows in August 2008 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago, playing the entirety of My Brain Hurts as well as other songs by Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, and from Ben Weasel's solo albums.

Despite speculation of a breakup, Screeching Weasel returned with a new lineup on October 29 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago with The Queers. The lineup included Ben Weasel vocals, Zac Damon guitar, Dave Klein bass, Pierre Marche drums and Mike Hunchback rhythm guitar. A new 7 song EP, titled Carnival of Schadenfreude, was recorded in July 2011. It was also produced by Mike Kennerty and was released in November 2011 on Recess Records. In March 2013, Ben Weasel announced on the band's Facebook page that Dave Klein had split from the group amicably to join Black Flag. He was replaced by bassist Zach Brandner, AKA "Poutine." On July 13, 2014, Weasel released a video on YouTube stating that new albums were in the works, through a two part rock opera called Baby Fat. Baby Fat: Act 1 was crowd funded, released in 2015 after the band raised over $40,000. At the end of 2016, Zac Damon was replaced by guitarist, Trevor Jackson. A documentary on the band was in the works for several years, but was cancelled in 2012, with producers citing Weasel's lack of cooperation with production. Screeching Weasel announced in March 2017 that a new documentary was underway entitled My Right: The Screeching Weasel Story. They recorded and digitally released two singles on December 11, 2017, entitled "Christmas Eve" and "New Years Eve" and played several shows in 2018. They subsequently announced via their website that a new album was scheduled to be recorded in summer 2019 with a tour in 2020 to follow. On March 24, 2020, Screeching Weasel released their 13th album, Some Freaks of Atavism and on July 15, 2022, Screeching Weasel released their 14th album, The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel with producer Mike Kennerty replacing Trevor Jackson as guitarist/backing vocalist. Both records were well received by their fans and critics. The band remains active though tour plans have been postponed due to the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak. Ben Weasel has stated, "Screeching Weasel is never breaking up again. The band dies when I do."

In addition to the Ramones, Ben Weasel credits bands such as Black Flag, D. O. A., The Dickies and Zero Boys for laying the groundwork for Screeching Weasel. Much like the Ramones, Screeching Weasel's common lyrical themes include girls and mental health problems (Weasel suffered from anxiety). Other influenced bands include Green Day (whose bassist Mike Dirnt previously played in Screeching Weasel), The All American Rejects (whose guitarist Mike Kennerty produced First World Manifesto, Carnival of Schadenfreude, Baby Fat Act I and Some Freaks of Atavism), New Found Glory, Eve 6, Bowling for Soup, MxPx, fellow Chicago bands Rise Against, Fall Out Boy, Allister, and Alkaline Trio, and popular ska punk band Less Than Jake. Additionally, a number of independent punk bands such as The Apers, Bigwig, The Leftovers, The Manges, and The Unlovables cite Screeching Weasel as influential. Screeching Weasel has been categorized as skate punk, pop punk and punk rock.