Dan Vapid and the Cheats are a pop punk band from Chicago that features former members of Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Noise By Numbers, The Vindictives, Sludgeworth and The Bomb.

Following the demise of Screeching Weasel after the SXSW debacle,[1][2] Schafer formed a new band called Dan Vapid and the Cheats featuring bassist Simon Lamb (Screeching Weasel, Riverdales), guitarist Mike Byrne (Methadones, Vindictives) and drummer Mike Soucy (Methadones, The Bomb).

They recorded their debut album in October 2011, with Justin Perkins producing, at the Mystery Room.

In January, 2013 a new line-up was introduced with Simon Lamb moving over to guitar and Rick Uncapher (Noise By Numbers, Textbook, Woolworthy) joining on bass.

[5] Rick Uncapher and Mike Soucy were replaced by Dillon Dunnagan and Gabe Usery by the time the band released its third album Three in March 2019.