Tenacious D
Best known for their 2001 song Tribute, Tenacious D are one of the most successfully comedy rock acts of all time since forming back in 1994.
LA duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass met when they were members of The Actors' Gang theater company. You might have seen Black in a few movies since then.
Psychostick
Formed in Arizona, Psychostick are an American comedy band known for mixing humorous lyrics with a trashy metal sound.
Having released five albums altogether, Psychostick have described their unique sound in the past as "humorcore". Whatever it is, it rocks.
Steel Panther
Steel Panther have gathered a name for themselves on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip and beyond as a four-man glam metal parody.
Led by Michael Starr, they formed in 2000 as Metal Shop and was also known as Metal Skool before finally settling on their moniker in 2008.
The Axis of Awesome
Formed in 2006, the Axis of Awesome was an Australian comedy music act who went down a storm down under.
Jordan Raskopoulos, Lee Naimo, and Benny Davis released seven albums of parody songs and originals - including their one single, 2011's Four Chords - before disbanding in 2018.
Garfunkel and Oates
You may recognise these two as former recurring stars of TV's The Big Bang Theory. They're also in a band!
Garfunkel and Oates is an American comedy folk duo formed by actresses Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. Their songs typically deal in observational comedy.
Ninja Sex Party
Formed in 2009 in New York City, you probably don't need to be told that Ninja Sex Party is a comedy music act.
The duo consists of singer Dan Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht. On the side, they also make up two-thirds of the rap-based musical trio Starbomb.
Dethklok
Imagine if Gorillaz had their own TV show. And were also metalheads. And they predominately made satirical metal music. That's Dethklok!
Since 2006, this fictional cartoon band has appeared in the Adult Swim animated television series Metalocalypse. In 2007, they released their first album.
Green Jelly
Best known for their 1992 hit single Three Little Pigs, Green Jelly are one of the biggest comedy rock acts going.
Known for their stripped-back (or, you know, untalented) musicianship and crude lyrics, Green Jelly have been getting crowds moving since 1981.
Gwar
Known for their rotating line-up of musicians, Gwar is a satirical rock band for their toilet humour and sci-fi aesthetics.
Formed back in 1984, Gwar has sold over 820,000 records in the United States, an insane amount for a bunch of jokesters.
Radioactive Chicken Heads
For every Radiohead there is a Radioactive Chicken Heads. Performing as a guise of vegetables and chickens, these guys have been together since 1993.
The band's brand has extended to music videos, concept albums, YouTube skits, stage plays, and even a role-playing computer game.
Birdflesh
Formed in Växjö, Sweden, in 1992, Birdflesh is one of the longest lasting comedy grindcore acts making music today.
Birdflesh have consistently released new music over the years, their most recent album Sickness in the North having come out in 2023.
Lawnmower Deth
Best known for their nine second song Egg Sandwich, Lawnmower Deth are a parody thrash band formed by friends Chris Flint, Joseph Whitaker, Pete Lee, Steve Nesfield and Chris Parkes.
They were initially active between 1987 and 1993 before reuniting, to the joy of their fans, in 2008 for a comeback tour.
Zimmers Hole
Zimmers Hole was formed by former Strapping Young Lad members Byron Stroud, Jed Simon and Gene Hoglan, along with vocalist Chris Valagao.
Since 1991, these Canadian comedy rockers have gone from strength to strength, proving that acting the fool can pay off.
DVDA
Do these two look familiar? Yep, that's South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker! In 1996, they formed DVDA.
We can't begin to tell you what the letters in the band name stands for, but it's typically scatalogical and and churlish, as is their music!
Satanicide
Described in one review as an "irreverent, demonic death-metal turned glam turned cock-rock band", Satanicide are comedy music legends.
Formed in 1999, they sport huge hair, colorful spandex, and leather jackets. They are Satanicide and they are here to stay.
Stormtroopers of Death
It seems like all the best band names are taken by bands who don't even want to be taken seriously.
Stormtroopers of Death formed in in New York City in 1985 and were comically active until their split in 2002.
The Dik Van Dykes
The Dik Van Dykes were a garage punk sextet from Canada who were active between the years 1985 and 1989.
The band released two albums, Nobody Likes...The Dik Van Dykes and Waste Mor Vinyl. In 1988, they even opened for the Ramones.
Folk Face
Folk Face were a comedy band formed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Vitty and BBC Newsreader Dominic Byrne in 2005.
While mainly a radio act, they did appear in person at the Glastonbury Festival, performing their folk parody tunes to thousands.
Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang are a hugely popular group today but their origins were firmly in the low-brow shock jock school of music.
Their famous single The Bad Touch probably wasn't intended to become as popular as it did, but here we are. Sweat baby, sweat baby.
Nanowar of Steel
Whoever said the Italians didn't have a sense of humor? Someone, probably. Nanowar of Steel have been proving them wrong since 2003.
This heavy metal act's name is a pun on the bands Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire. They are not to be missed.
Sons of Butcher
Sons of Butcher is a rock band based in Canada, formed by two brothers and their friend back in 2004.
They fuse obscene humor with absurdist humor to create a sound they have classed as "mock rock". We dig it.
Flight of the Conchords
New Zealand's own Flight of the Conchords are one of, if not the, most famous comedy band of all time, thanks in part to their popular TV sitcom.
Since forming in 1998, they have gained global recognition for their live performances. They have been twice-nominated for a Grammy Award, winning Best Comedy Album in 2008.
The Lonely Island
This American comedy trio awas formed by friends Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in California back in 2001.
They achieved huge success with their comedy songs Motherlover, D*** in a Box, J*** in My Pants, I'm on a Boat, and Like a Boss.
Spinal Tap
American comedians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer created a monster with fictitious English heavy metal band Spinal Tap. 99% of mock-rock bands owe everything to them.
They came to prominence in spoof rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, directed by Rob Reiner, which became so popular that some people didn't realise they weren't a real band.
Ween
Ween is an American rock band formed in Pennsylvania in 1984 by best buds Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo.
They are known for their wildly varied and comical excursions into funk, soul, country, gospel, prof, R&B, heavy metal, and punk rock.
The Dead Milkmen
There are a number of comedy music acts that have come out of Philadelphia, and the Dead Milkmen are among the best.
Formed by vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman, guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro, bassist Dave Schulthise and drummer Dean Sabatino in 1983, they're still going strong.
Mac Sabbath
Adorned in the haunted fancy dress of several American fast food icons, Mac Sabbath formed in 2014 and continue to enjoy cult success a decade later.
Their genre of "Drive Thru Metal" sees them to parodying the English heavy metal group Black Sabbath with a fast food twist.
The Vandals
When the Vandals burst onto the scene in 1980, they were the only punk rock group to not focus on social and political issues.
They were more interested in fart jokes and sophomore humor and it paid off. They continue to tour some forty years later.
Bad News
Similar to Spinal Tap, Bad News were a fictional English heavy metal band created for entertainment purposes. In this case, a Channel 4 series called The Comic Strip Presents...
The band worked outside the context of the series, playing several live gigs as Bad News, and recording an album and a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody that made the UK charts.
Zmelkoow
Your mind doesn't go to "comedy rock" when it thinks of Slovenia. But it should, thanks to the efforts of Zmelkoow.
Founded in Koper in 1992, Zmelkoow are known for their philosophical and ironic humor. One of their albums consists of medieval song covers.
Beatallica
As you can guess, Beatallica is a mash-up band combining the influences and talents of the Beatles and Metallica, with amazing results.
Members of Metallica, such as Kirk Hammet and Lars Ulrich, have given the spoof band their blessing, even praising their musical sound.
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup are a legitimate rock group these days, but their origins have more in common with Tenacious D than anyone "serious".
Essentially, the talent was too strong. You can't write Girl All the Bad Guys Want and expect to be dismissed as nothing more than a joke.
The Scaffold
The Scaffold are a veteran comedy act from Liverpool, England formed Mike McGear (the younger brother of Paul McCartney), Roger McGough, and John Gorman.
They're best known for their hit singles Thank U Very Much and the UK number 1 Lily the Pink. Despite splitting up in 1977, they have reunited on several occasions.
Dread Zeppelin
Dread Zeppelin are a comedy band who formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California. They combine, as you can imagine, the likes of reggae and rock.
They are famous (and loved) for performing the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style as sung by a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator.
The Rutles
The Rutles are a ficitonal Beatles spoof band created for the mockumentary The Rutles made in 1978 by, among others, Monty Python's Eric Idle.
With hit songs Cheese and Onions, Ouch!, and I Must Be in Love, the Rutles are all-timers when it comes to comedy music.
The Barron Knights
Formed in 1959, and still going strong, the Barron Knights are one of the oldest comedy rock groups of all time.
They shot to fame with their song Call Up the Groups, which imagines famous musicians being called up for conscription.
The Temperance Seven
Founded in 1955 by students at London's Chelsea School of Art, the Temperance Seven were an avant garde jazz act.
They became famous for their surreal performance art and commitment to the bit (the Seven claimed they formed in 1904).
Madness
Madness are one of the most loved musical acts in British music history and they did it by making people laugh.
While not a "comedy band" in the strictest sense, Madness caught hearts with their light-hearted, whimsical odes to ordinary British life in the 1980s.
Group Tamashii
Group Tamashii are a Japanese comedy rock band started by actors in a theatrical company called Otona Keikaku, or Project Adult, in 1995.
They're Big in Japan, but that was always a given. Individually, the group has gone onto to achieve success in TV and film.
Doug Anthony All Stars
Active between 1984 and 1993, the Doug Anthony All Stars put Australia slap bang on the musical comedy group map.
The All Stars were known for their aggressive approach to love music, often involving audience members and addressing controversial topics.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Weird Al Yankovic is the highest-selling comedy act of all time, creating observational songs that poke fun at the world, as well as parodying popular music of the past and present.
His consistency in the genre is unparalleled, having been active since 1976 and still going strong today, even after selling over 12 million records.
Those Darn Accordions
Accordions are rarely the instrument of choice for those attempting to break into the music industry, but they've certainly served Those Darn Accordions well.
The band plays a range of covers and originals in the European polka style and has managed to stay in public consciousness since 1989.
The Residents
From what started as a bit of fun, creating avant-garde, heavily distorted covers of popular songs, The Residents wouldn't have expected that they'd end up releasing over 60 albums.
Things could have turned out very differently for the group, as they were initially heading off to San Francisco to join the hippie movement, before their van broke down in San Mateo, California.
Primus
There's something very refreshing about a band not deciding to take themselves seriously, producing wacky music videos to accompany their comedic-tinged songs.
Primus are the epitome of this attitude, laughing and joking their way to nine best-selling records and three Grammy nominations.
Bob & Doug McKenzie
Bob and Doug McKenzie are two fictional brothers who decided to record an album to support their sketch show, The Great White North.
The album featured guest vocals from Geddy Lee of Rush and charted at number one in Canada and number eight in the USA, higher than any Rush album had managed.
Barenaked Ladies
You'd think with a band name like Barenaked Ladies, you'd only be able to get so far before being brushed out of the way by the more serious pop acts.
However, this Canadian band, known for their wild subject matters and comedic sketches in between songs have managed to sell over 15 million albums, two Grammy award nominations, and a career spanning over 30 years.
Gorillaz
Blur frontman Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett were watching MTV commenting on its stream of nonsense when they came up with Gorillaz, a virtual band that would parody what they were seeing on TV.
Little did they know they were about to spawn one of the great bands of the 2000s and 2010s, going on to achieve multiple number-one albums and tour across the world.
The Dan Band
Comedian Dan Finnerty started The Dan Band for fun before achieving unexpected success with the group following cameo appearances in the movies Old School and The Hangover.
The Dan Band performs sweary versions of popular songs, usually ones that were originally sung by women.
Hee Bee Gee Bees
You can probably guess by the name, The Hee Bee Gee Bees, who this fictitious pop band has successfully imitated in the past.
But the Hee Bee Gee Bees have parodied a multitude of groups, although their Bee Gees parody, Meaningless Songs in Very High Voices was their most successful release.
The Darkness
The Darkness came to prominence in the early 2000s with their hit I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and a look and sound reminiscent of the glam rock bands of the '70s.
Although they are very capable musicians and are not technically a joke band, they have never been ones to take themselves overly seriously.
Stephen Lynch
A lot of musical comedians are dismissed as actual musicians, as the act is often based on lyrical content rather than musical content.
Stephen Lynch bucks this trend, intertwining well-thought-out melodies with intricate fingerpicked guitar lines that make the songs worth listening to from a musical standpoint.
Tripod
Australian comedy/music trio Tripod began their journey in the '90s busking on the streets of Melbourne, before eventually upgrading to the local pub and bar scene.
Before long, they were regulars at the annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival, eventually garnering an audience across the world.
The Kransky Sisters
The Kransky Sisters' act doesn't naturally lend itself to mainstream comedy stardom, but it has managed to take the trio, who are not actually sisters, around the world.
The trio plays bizarre instruments, ranging from toilet brushes to kitchen pots, which work surprisingly well with their harmonies.
Bo Burnham
Bo Burnham posted his first two self-penned comedy songs on YouTube so that his brother (who lived away from the family home) would be able to see them.
In short, they ended up going mega-viral, landing Burnham a series of opportunities that ultimately led up to his 2021 masterpiece, Inside.
Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer was busy paving the way for so-called 'joke musicians' all the way back in the 1950s, before it had become a popular genre.
Thanks to television becoming a fixture in most American households, Lehrer quickly became a famous face, being invited to perform on many primetime TV slots.
Smash Mouth
In one of the greatest miracles music has ever witnessed, Smash Mouth managed to make it as a successful band in the 1990s.
They were further propped up thanks to the inclusion of their song All-Star in the Shrek soundtrack in 2001.
blink-182
Pop-punk band blink-182 has amassed a large hoard of fans all by doing things their own way, which is admirable for a genre often guilty of taking itself too seriously.
The group is aware of their purpose, which is not necessarily to rouse their fans into anarchy like many that have come before them, but instead to entertain.
Throbbing Gristle
Experimental group Throbbing Gristle occupied a space in two very different niches, comedy and horror. How they did it is a mystery to most.
They started by naming the band Throbbing Gristle, which, if taken seriously, is horrifying. If not, it's another quirky, jokey band name.
System of a Down
When legendary producer Rick Rubin first signed System of a Down, he supposedly couldn't stop laughing throughout their entire set as he hadn't heard anything remotely like it.
The band isn't outwardly a joke or a parody band, but they're no strangers to the obscure, embracing weirdness whenever they can.
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle may sound like the name of a character from a children's TV show, but they don't make child-friendly music.
Instead, they make avant-garde metal music, and to great success, despite the lyrical content (hits include My A** Is On Fire and None Of Them Knew They Were Robots) being obscure and amusing.
Hayseed Dixie
Have you ever wondered what your favorite metal band would sound like if they were country artists? If so, give Hayseed Dixie a listen.
The group takes heavy music and turns it into bluegrass, releasing AC/DC, Motörhead, and Queen cover albums, among many more.
Chas & Dave
If you're lucky enough to be able to cross the pond and visit London, you'll likely see or hear a reference to Chas & Dave on at least one occasion.
The pair were London through and through, releasing a string of Cockney dance hits that went down a storm with their generation.
Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven embraced the artistic freedom that it seems only bands considered a joke are afforded, transcending multiple styles whenever they felt like it.
The band managed to enjoy major chart success while having the name Camper Van Beethoven, which is an impressive feat.
Chumbawamba
Naming your band Chumbawamba is one way of ensuring that your work isn't taken too seriously. Going on to have a hit song called Tubthumping is another.
While Chumbawamba may not have originally intended to be labeled a 'joke' band, they have fully embraced the mantle.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
If King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard had their time again and realized the band they started as a joke would go on to be a success, they surely would've opted for a different name.
Their success may be something of an accident, as they chose to break every musical rule there is, while strictly following their instincts.
Kurupt FM
Kurupt FM is a fictional pirate radio station from the British sitcom People Just Do Nothing, which is about a group of failing garage musicians.
The show has fans worldwide, including the likes of Post Malone, who agreed to make music with a couple of the members, which could count as a success.
Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull somehow managed to infuse progressive rock with traditional English folk music, complete with flutes, bells, and whistles, creating an unforgettable fusion.
Not only did they draw huge crowds with their off-kilter appeal, but they also inspired a generation of new artists, including Eddie Vedder and Iron Maiden.
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, as you may have already gathered, is not a musical act that is designed to be taken seriously.
Still, they've managed to score a couple of hits and a loyal fanbase, even while wearing that ridiculous face paint, which isn't bad going.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention did not care for convention, throwing out the rule book entirely to create some bizarre but great music.
No artist has come along that resembles Frank Zappa in any way, and it is highly likely that nobody ever will.
Goldie Lookin' Chain
Welsh comedy rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain expresses their humor via hip-hop, often satirizing subjects such as consumerism and even hip-hop itself.
With groups such as N.W.A having needlessly taken themselves so seriously in the past, hip-hop has proven to be one of the easiest genres to spoof.