Sponge

Sponge came out of Detroit in the late 1980s with Vinnie Dombroski on vocals, Mike Cross on guitar, Tim Patalan on bass, and Joe Mazzola on drums. They signed with A&M Records in 1994 and put out their debut album, 'Rotting Piñata,' that same year. It was their second album, 1996's 'Wax Ecstatic,' that broke through, thanks largely to the single 'Plowed.' That song got heavy rotation on radio and MTV, turning the band into a mainstream alternative rock act for a while.

Some critics took issue with the lyrics to 'Plowed,' calling them misogynistic and violent. Dombroski argued the words were meant to be metaphorical. The band kept putting out records after that, like 'New Pop Suicide' in 1998 and 'Galore' in 2003, but they never matched the commercial reach of 'Wax Ecstatic.' The lineup shifted over time, with Patalan leaving in 2000 and Mazzola departing in 2001.

Sponge called it quits in 2003 but got back together a decade later for some shows. They've played occasionally since and released an EP called 'The Beer Sessions' in 2017. Other songs from their peak period, like 'Neenah Menasha' and 'Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina),' still turn up on playlists from that era.