[4][5] They were quickly signed to record a single for Kill Rock Stars after owner Slim Moon witnessed their performance at the 1994 Yoyo A Go Go festival.

[5] In contrast to Reveille's digital production process, 2003's Apple O' was played almost entirely live to tape in one nine-hour session with Jay Pellicci engineering.

[10] Matsuzaki was editing a Bay Area Japanese magazine, Cohen was waiting tables at a Thai restaurant, and Dieterich and Saunier were doing data entry for legal and consulting firms,[5] but that year they all decided to quit their jobs simultaneously and focus on touring.

[20] When the result was released that fall, the double album The Runners Four featured each band member taking turns as vocalist, singing unusually wordy lyrics in which Arks and time capsules recur, as though foretelling that this would be the final recording of this lineup.

[22] Later that year after an extensive world tour that ended at Coachella, Deerhoof composed and performed a live soundtrack to Harry Smith's hour-long animation masterpiece Heaven and Earth Magic at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

[5] Some material was from the "Heaven and Earth Magic" soundtrack, some was completely orchestral (without drums or guitars), and one song ("Matchbook Seeks Maniac") was created specifically for the end credits of a Hollywood film.

That summer Deerhoof released the song "Fresh Born" online as sheet music only, anticipating similar experiments by Beck and Blur by several years.

[29] The October 2008 album Offend Maggie received critical praise from VH1, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press, The Guardian, and Mojo.

[30] In April 2010 Deerhoof curated the Belgian music festival Sonic City, inviting an eclectic array of European acts including The Go!

[35] Throughout the summer of 2011, Deerhoof toured in an international supergroup alongside Konono N°1, Juana Molina, Kasai Allstars and others, called Congotronics Vs. Rockers.

[36] In April 2012 Deerhoof collaborated with Questlove, Reggie Watts, Sasha Grey, and others in a conceptual concert event called Shuffle Culture at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

[37] In April 2012 a young adult fiction book, Rules to Rock By, by Josh Farrar was published; it is about a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by Deerhoof to form her own band.

After a long final mixing session at Saunier's apartment, Matsuzaki took the front cover photo of a garbage truck in the early morning hours.

[46] The song then appeared in the LAMC split-7" series, in which a more known artist chooses a lesser-known one (Deerhoof chose Half Waif) to make their recorded debut, with proceeds going to the Ariel Panero Memorial Fund at VH1 Save the Music.

[47] Deerhoof's twelfth album, 2014's La Isla Bonita was self-recorded live in guitarist Ed Rodriguez's basement during a "weeklong sleepover arguing over whether to try and sound like Joan Jett or Janet Jackson".

[53] For Deerhoof and Lightning Bolt's mutual 20-year anniversary, Matt Conboy directed a Pitchfork-premiered documentary called "Checking in at 20" about their respective drummers.

[58] Also in 2015 Deerhoof contributed a track in support of gay and transgender Hoosiers on the Joyful Noise compilation 50 Bands & a Cat for Indiana Equality.

[61] The resulting film[62][63][64] of the project quickly became one of the top ten most-watched videos ever produced by CERN and received wide coverage in the music, art, and science press,[65][66][67][68][69][70] as well as positive responses from notable artists, musicians, and writers.

The album blends glam metal, punk, and noise, but also includes a cover of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by The Ink Spots.

[74] Those who pre-ordered The Magic from Polyvinyl were treated to a surprise cassette that included Deerhoof doing covers of Def Leppard, Van Halen, David Bowie, Madonna, Sonic Youth, Malaria!, and Public Enemy.

[76] After a long world tour for The Magic, Deerhoof was invited by Red Hot Chili Peppers to open their concerts in northern European arenas in November 2016.

On June 28 Deerhoof announced a new album titled Mountain Moves and premiered the first single "I Will Spite Survive" (featuring Jenn Wasner on guest vocals) on Democracy Now!.

[93] According to AllMusic, their early releases "had a more traditionally harsh, no wave-inspired sound, though they also included the quirky tendencies that dominated their later efforts ... [which] mix noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into utterly distinctive music that made them one of the most acclaimed acts of the 2000s and 2010s.

"[94] According to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, they made "some of the most difficult and unclassifiable noise of the mid-'90s [before] unexpectedly [rising] to international prominence as one of indie rock's most renowned and influential groups ... too 'pop' for 'noise,' and too 'noise' for 'pop.

'"[95] For The Guardian, their breakthrough after many albums of "elliptical art-pop" came with Friend Opportunity, which showcased "a band playing a constantly shifting mixture of psychedelia, post-punk, jazz and pop, which should have been difficult and forbidding, but was given an accessible focus by the sweet vocals and expressionist lyrics of bassist/chanteuse Satomi Matsuzaki. ...

[The followup] Offend Maggie is head-spinning bliss from beginning to end, and proves that the quartet are the best prog-rock post-punk Afro-Oriental art-pop folk-jazz band in the world.

[97] They are known for their anti-capitalist, pro-social and radical DIY approach to art and life as exemplified by their work with and homages to David Graeber (an organizer of Occupy Wall Street),[98][99][100] their anti-marketing campaigns,[101] trenchant published commentary,[102][103][104] and their use of a low-budget and eco-friendly style of production and touring, (for example, when they went on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers they all rode together with all of their gear to arena gigs in a Prius minivan behind the Chili Peppers' fleet of busses and semi-trailers.

)[101] The band has been appreciated by and/or influential to other artists, notably David Bowie,[105] Radiohead,[51] Questlove,[106][107][108] St. Vincent,[109] Foo Fighters,[110] Dirty Projectors,[111] Tune-Yards,[53] Stereolab,[112] Henry Rollins,[51] Sleigh Bells,[113] and of Montreal.