Following O'Riordan's death from drowning due to alcohol intoxication in 2018, Noel Hogan confirmed that the remaining members chose to disband out of respect for her.

[5][10] Subsequently, Quinn introduced the trio to a friend of his girlfriend's sister, mentioning that she was a singer-songwriter looking for a group who would compose original music.

[5][4] On a Sunday afternoon in mid-1990, 18-year-old Dolores O'Riordan cycled to the audition at Xeric Studios dressed in a tracksuit and with a broken Casio keyboard under her arm.

[14] It featured early versions of "Linger" and "Dreams", which were sent directly to record companies in London by Noel Hogan, determined to leave the underground circuit of small Irish clubs and pubs.

[4][22] On 18 April 1991, the group played a decisive show in their hometown at Jetland Center as part of the University of Limerick's RAG Week to 1,400 students.

[2] The Cranberries received more letters expressing interest from Virgin, EMI, Imago, CBS, and Warner, which led the Hogan brothers to quit their jobs.

[24][2] In mid-1991, the Cranberries headed back into the studio with Gilmore as their producer to "hastily" record their first EP Uncertain and created a music video for the title track, which was not released.

[38] Ed Power of The Telegraph wrote that the Cranberries "superstardom was sealed by a November 1994 rendition of 'Zombie' on Late Show with David Letterman"; he said, "It was a dark, sludgy appearance, topped off by O'Riordan's stunning transformation from indie urchin to blonde-dyed rock chick in high boots".

[40][41] On 15 May 1995, the Cranberries had planned an impromptu free acoustic set for 3,000 people at National Sylvan Theater in Washington, D.C.[42][43][44] The show was organized and promoted by radio station WHFS, which had paid for the use of five U.S. park police officers.

[42][43] More officers in riot gear arrived, and dozens of mounted horse patrols cleared the south quarter of the Washington Monument grounds while the fracas continued outside.

[36][52] Although To the Faithful Departed sold four million copies in six weeks[53] and went double platinum in the US and Gold in the UK,[54][55] it failed to match the sales of its predecessors.

[56] The album was "mauled" by the press[57] due to the politically charged songs "Bosnia", "War Child", and the real, unaltered sound of gunshots in "I Just Shot John Lennon".

[65][66] On 11 December 1998, the band played "Dreams", "Promises" and "Linger" at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum in Norway.

[72] As the tour rolled on, the band released Bury the Hatchet – The Complete Sessions, a double CD featuring B-sides as well as live tracks taken from a show in Paris.

In January 2003, following advice from their legal advisors, the Cranberries parted ways with record label MCA, due to the band's dissatisfaction with the promotion of Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.

[76] Despite comments from MCA regarding that the album did not reach the Billboard 200's top 30, the 2002 concerts drew an average audience of 10,000 people, with many of the dates selling out.

[77][76] The band failed to replicate its earlier success;[79] Rolling Stone's David Browne said that "even as their sound grew edgier and punkier, they never lost their fan base, for whom the troubled O'Riordan remained a relatable pop star".

[80][81] In September 2003, the band announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers, as well as concentrate on family, and scrapped sessions for a sixth studio release.

The Cranberries reunited in January 2009 to celebrate O'Riordan becoming an Honorary Patron[98][99] of University Philosophical Society (Trinity College, Dublin).

The group indicated at the time that this did not signify an official reunion, but on 25 August 2009, in anticipation of the release of No Baggage, O'Riordan announced that the Cranberries would be reuniting for a North American and European tour.

[101][102][103] In 2011, the actual Water Circle demo tape emerged, widely assumed to be the first appearance of the Cranberries with the vocal of Dolores O'Riordan.

[104][105] The Cranberries recorded Roses at the Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Canada, from 18 April[106] to 15 May[107] 2011 with Stephen Street,[106] who previously collaborated with the band on their first, second and fifth albums.

[114] Something Else featured orchestral arrangements of prior releases, re-recorded in 2016 acoustically with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and three new songs: "The Glory", "Why", and "Rupture".

[142][143] On 1 September 2019, Noel Hogan joined Kodaline on stage at the Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland, to play "Zombie" in tribute to Dolores O'Riordan.

[161][159] Their debut single "Dreams", "introduced the world to the band's unique twist on the Celtic rock tradition"; The Michigan Daily's Kaitlyn Fox wrote, "one of the most well-known and influential groups from the Irish music scene is the Cranberries".

[152] They also incorporated string arrangements to various effect; writer Simon Vozick-Levinson described "O'Riordan's impossibly tender vocals" on "Linger", mingled with "the orchestral swoon, the just-this-side-of-shoegaze guitars".

[163][159] "Loud and Clear" has a "boisterous middle eight and odd structure" defined by a "bridge, then verse, then wordless chorus all the way to the finish".

[168][169] Lawler, Mike and Noel Hogan were inspired by The Cure,[3] Joy Division,[170] Echo & the Bunnymen,[170] Siouxsie and the Banshees,[170] The Clash,[170] and The Smiths.

[176][31][177] In October 2016, the Cranberries received a BMI Award in London for three million radio plays in the United States of their single "Dreams" taken from their debut studio album.

[34][170] A music video restoration campaign of the entire catalogue of the Cranberries on YouTube was launched on 3 October 2019,[178][179] 25 years after the release of the album No Need to Argue.