Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California.

The Circle Jerks first reunited in 1994 and released their sixth and last studio album to date, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, the following year before separating for the second time.

Tensions among members and failed attempts to record the follow-up to Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities resulted in the Circle Jerks breaking up yet again in 2011.

[2] Many groups and artists have cited Circle Jerks as an influence, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers,[3][4] Pearl Jam,[3][4] Anti-Flag,[3][5][6] Dropkick Murphys,[3][7] the Offspring,[3][6] NOFX,[3] and Pennywise.

[6] Lead vocalist Keith Morris was an original member of Black Flag, co-founding the band with guitarist Greg Ginn and recording the Nervous Breakdown EP with them before suddenly departing the group in December 1979.

[8][9] The band's first recordings took place in spring 1980, including the original version of "Wild in the Streets", which appeared on Posh Boy's first Rodney on the ROQ compilation.

Faulty Products ceased operations several months after its release, forcing Circle Jerks to seek their third record deal in as many years.

The title track was a medley of six cover versions (of artists as diverse and unexpected as the Association, the Carpenters and Tammy Wynette) strung together to create a storyline of two people who fall in love, have an unplanned pregnancy, rush into marriage and end up divorced.

Another song from the album, "Coup d'État", was used in the soundtrack of Alex Cox's 1984 film Repo Man, which the band appeared in, playing an acoustic lounge version of "When the Shit Hits the Fan", featuring new members Chuck Biscuits (formerly of Black Flag and D.O.A.)

Just prior to joining Circle Jerks at the suggestion of Biscuits, Liberty worked 10 weeks as a roadie for the Misfits as he became increasingly disillusioned with Saccharine Trust's lack of interest in developing new material, recalling in a 1983 interview that his former bandmates "were just getting too lazy.

Chris Poland played bass with Circle Jerks briefly circa 1989 after being fired as guitarist for Megadeth (Schloss had left the band by that point).

In late February 2007, the band released their first new song since 1995 on their Myspace page, titled "I'm Gonna Live", adding more anticipation to the possibility of a new album emerging.

Morris disagreed, and he and Coats recruited Steven Shane McDonald (from Redd Kross) and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, 411, Clikatat Ikatowi, Earthless) to start a new band called Off!.

[18] On November 22, 2019, the Circle Jerks announced that they were going to reunite in 2020 for a number of shows to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album Group Sex, including that year's Punk Rock Bowling.