Almost a year after Soundgarden's break-up, in summer 1998, Cameron was invited by rock-colleagues Pearl Jam to drum on its U.S. Yield Tour after the band's drummer Jack Irons left due to the touring scheduling conflicting with his health issues and a desire to spend more time with his family.
Cameron had worked with members of the band before on the Temple of the Dog project and had helped them record some early instrumental demos in 1990.
Cameron said, "I got a phone call out of the blue, from Mr. Ed Ved, Stoney and Kelly (Curtis, Pearl Jam's manager).
I was ambushed.
It was really short notice.
He called and said 'hey what are you doing this summer?'"
Guitarist Mike McCready said, "We knew him from being around the same scene and seeing him on tour.
It had a lot to do with it.
We knew he was a normal cat too, a normal guy."
Cameron learned over 80 songs in two weeks.
He was hired on an initially temporary basis, but soon, during the tour, he was invited to become a full-time member.
Cameron stated, "The guys made me feel real welcome and it wasn't a struggle to get it musically, but my style was a little bit different, I think, than what they were used to.
And they've been through so many different drummers, I don't even know if they knew what they wanted.
So, I just kind of played the way I played and then eventually we kind of figured out what worked best for the band."

Cameron has since become the longest serving drummer of the band.
McCready stated that Cameron has made Pearl Jam "into a way better band."
In 1998, Pearl Jam, with Cameron on drums, recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.
It was released on the band's 1998 fan club Christmas single; however, by popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single in 1999. "
Last Kiss" peaked at number two on the Billboard charts and became the band's highest-charting single.
In 2000, the band released its sixth studio album, Binaural, and initiated a successful and ongoing series of official bootlegs.
The band released seventy-two such live albums in 2000 and 2001, and set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard 200 at the same time. "
Grievance" (from Binaural) received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.
The band released its seventh studio album, Riot Act, in 2002.
Pearl Jam's contribution to the 2003 film, Big Fish, "Man of the Hour", was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2004.
The band's eighth studio album, the eponymous Pearl Jam, was released in 2006.
The band released its ninth studio album, Backspacer, in 2009.
Their tenth studio album Lightning Bolt was released in 2013.

Since joining Pearl Jam, Cameron has written the following songs for the band:
"Evacuation" (Binaural) ... music
"Save You" (Riot Act) ... music (co-written)
"Cropduster" (Riot Act) ... music
"You Are" (Riot Act) ... lyrics (co-written), music, and played rhythm guitar
"Get Right" (Riot Act) ... lyrics and music
"In the Moonlight" (Lost Dogs) ... lyrics and music
"Unemployable" (Pearl Jam) ... music (co-written)
"The Fixer" (Backspacer) ... music (co-written)
"Johnny Guitar" (Backspacer) ... music (co-written)
"Dance of the Clairvoyants" (Gigaton)  ... music (co-written)
"Take the Long Way" (Gigaton) ... lyrics, music, played guitar, and sang background vocals
While not as frequent as the other members' written contributions, Cameron's are held in high regard by the band, as are his performances.
In the liner notes of the 2003 Lost Dogs compilation, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder says:
Matt Cameron writes songs and we run to find step stools in order to reach his level, ... what comes naturally to him leaves us with our heads cocked like the confused dogs that we are, ... eventually getting it.
Did we mention he's the greatest drummer on the planet?
Almost a year after Soundgarden's break-up, in summer 1998, Cameron was invited by rock-colleagues Pearl Jam to drum on its U.S. Yield Tour after the band's drummer Jack Irons left due to the touring scheduling conflicting with his health issues and a desire to spend more time with his family. Cameron had worked with members of the band before on the Temple of the Dog project and had helped them record some early instrumental demos in 1990. Cameron said, "I got a phone call out of the blue, from Mr. Ed Ved, Stoney and Kelly (Curtis, Pearl Jam's manager). I was ambushed. It was really short notice. He called and said 'hey what are you doing this summer?'" Guitarist Mike McCready said, "We knew him from being around the same scene and seeing him on tour. It had a lot to do with it. We knew he was a normal cat too, a normal guy." Cameron learned over 80 songs in two weeks. He was hired on an initially temporary basis, but soon, during the tour, he was invited to become a full-time member. Cameron stated, "The guys made me feel real welcome and it wasn't a struggle to get it musically, but my style was a little bit different, I think, than what they were used to. And they've been through so many different drummers, I don't even know if they knew what they wanted. So, I just kind of played the way I played and then eventually we kind of figured out what worked best for the band."
Cameron has since become the longest serving drummer of the band. McCready stated that Cameron has made Pearl Jam "into a way better band." In 1998, Pearl Jam, with Cameron on drums, recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. It was released on the band's 1998 fan club Christmas single; however, by popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single in 1999. "Last Kiss" peaked at number two on the Billboard charts and became the band's highest-charting single. In 2000, the band released its sixth studio album, Binaural, and initiated a successful and ongoing series of official bootlegs. The band released seventy-two such live albums in 2000 and 2001, and set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard 200 at the same time. "Grievance" (from Binaural) received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band released its seventh studio album, Riot Act, in 2002. Pearl Jam's contribution to the 2003 film, Big Fish, "Man of the Hour", was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2004. The band's eighth studio album, the eponymous Pearl Jam, was released in 2006. The band released its ninth studio album, Backspacer, in 2009. Their tenth studio album Lightning Bolt was released in 2013.
Since joining Pearl Jam, Cameron has written the following songs for the band:
"Evacuation" (Binaural) ... music
"Save You" (Riot Act) ... music (co-written)
"Cropduster" (Riot Act) ... music
"You Are" (Riot Act) ... lyrics (co-written), music, and played rhythm guitar
"Get Right" (Riot Act) ... lyrics and music
"In the Moonlight" (Lost Dogs) ... lyrics and music
"Unemployable" (Pearl Jam) ... music (co-written)
"The Fixer" (Backspacer) ... music (co-written)
"Johnny Guitar" (Backspacer) ... music (co-written)
"Dance of the Clairvoyants" (Gigaton)  ... music (co-written)
"Take the Long Way" (Gigaton) ... lyrics, music, played guitar, and sang background vocals
While not as frequent as the other members' written contributions, Cameron's are held in high regard by the band, as are his performances. In the liner notes of the 2003 Lost Dogs compilation, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder says:
Matt Cameron writes songs and we run to find step stools in order to reach his level, ... what comes naturally to him leaves us with our heads cocked like the confused dogs that we are, ... eventually getting it. Did we mention he's the greatest drummer on the planet?
Matt Cameron