They began doing so in the pubs of the western suburbs of Buenos Aires, a similar beginning as many other suburban rock bands.

In 1991, they headed to Europe to participate in an anti-racist music festival in France, where they played with groups from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cuba, and Spain.

Los Piojos made their commercial debut in 1992 with Chactuchac which was received favorably by Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota.

The band's assimilation of all types of eastern Argentine musical rhythms became clear with this release, and their eclectic nature did not cut into their popularity, in fact it made them more accessible to a wider Latin American taste, and so Los Piojos went on tour in Mexico and the United States.

They performed several concerts with sellout numbers alongside other suburban rock acts such as Divididos, La Renga, Viejas Locas, and ska-Latin band Los Auténticos Decadentes.