At a time when people were still trying to figure out what “punk” was, Los Angeles pranksters the Weirdos were writing their own rules. Taking their cues from absurdist and performance-art movements like Dada and renegade musicians like Iggy Pop, they jumped onstage in homemade clothes and haircuts, festooned with smiley faces and plastic flowers. From 1977 to 1981, The Weirdos were one of L.A.’s best-kept secrets, setting the tone for West Coast punk with classic singles like “We Got the Neutron Bomb” and headlining the famous Whisky on Sunset Strip. Still occasionally active, their importance to American punk’s development is now widely acknowledged.