The band started as a collaboration between guitarists Kim Shattuck and Melanie Vammen, both former members of the 1980s all-female hard rock group, The Pandoras.
The Muffs started performing and recording after the addition of bassist Ronnie Barnett and drummer Criss Crass.

The Muffs released their initial 7" EPs and singles – "New Love" and "Guilty" (1991), and "I Need You" (1992) – on the West Coast independent labels Sub Pop and Sympathy for the Record Industry.
Based on the public and critical response to these early releases, the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records.
They established a reputation for "straightforward pop punk".
In the words of musician and critic Scott Miller, the Muffs had "an uncommon flair for simple, catchy melodies" which, he noted approvingly, were always delivered in "Kim Shattuck's almost comically sneering adolescent rasp".

The band released their self-titled debut album in 1993.
Crass left soon after its release, and drummer Jim Laspesa filled in during the subsequent tour, with Roy McDonald (formerly of Redd Kross) taking over the position permanently in 1994.
By the time the tour was over, Vammen had decided to leave the group as well, eventually joining The Leaving Trains.

As a trio of Shattuck, Barnett, and MacDonald, The Muffs recorded their second album, Blonder and Blonder.
It was released on Warner's subsidiary Reprise Records in 1995.
The album included the college radio hit single, "Sad Tomorrow".
The band started as a collaboration between guitarists Kim Shattuck and Melanie Vammen, both former members of the 1980s all-female hard rock group, The Pandoras. The Muffs started performing and recording after the addition of bassist Ronnie Barnett and drummer Criss Crass.
The Muffs released their initial 7" EPs and singles – "New Love" and "Guilty" (1991), and "I Need You" (1992) – on the West Coast independent labels Sub Pop and Sympathy for the Record Industry. Based on the public and critical response to these early releases, the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records. They established a reputation for "straightforward pop punk". In the words of musician and critic Scott Miller, the Muffs had "an uncommon flair for simple, catchy melodies" which, he noted approvingly, were always delivered in "Kim Shattuck's almost comically sneering adolescent rasp".
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1993. Crass left soon after its release, and drummer Jim Laspesa filled in during the subsequent tour, with Roy McDonald (formerly of Redd Kross) taking over the position permanently in 1994. By the time the tour was over, Vammen had decided to leave the group as well, eventually joining The Leaving Trains.
As a trio of Shattuck, Barnett, and MacDonald, The Muffs recorded their second album, Blonder and Blonder. It was released on Warner's subsidiary Reprise Records in 1995. The album included the college radio hit single, "Sad Tomorrow".
The Muffs