Bay Area mainstays No Use for a Name combined skater-punk energy and sneering hooks with wry lyrics speaking to disaffection and societal ills. The band emerged from Sunnyvale in the late ’80s—hardcore punks who found their voice in earnest once Tony Sly became the lead singer of the group. NUFAN levelled up and began their gradual trajectory toward commercially friendly pop-punk after signing with Fat Wreck Chords in 1993. Their subsequent release—1995’s Leche Con Carne—led to a breakthrough in the midst of a mainstream moment for their style of music; “Soulmate” was played on MTV, and the band garnered an opening slot for The Offspring. The 1999 tour de force More Betterness! completed NUFAN’s transformation to smart and unabashed pop-punk. The band released several more albums, including a live album and a greatest-hits collection, before Sly’s untimely passing in 2012.