The Ataris rose to national attention with the ascent of pop-punk acts in the wake of Green Day's stardom in the mid-'90s. The Vandals bassist Joe Escalante spurred the launch of the band after hearing songwriter Kris Roe's demo tape in '97. After assembling a full line-up, the Indiana outfit worked with an impressive array of punk dignitaries including NOFX's Fat Mike and members of The Descendents before signing with Columbia in '03. When the pop-punk bubble burst in the late '00s, The Ataris started their own label and maintained an intermittent presence in the subsequent decade.