Girls Against Boys is a post-hardcore band which formed in Washington, D.C., and subsequently relocated to New York City shortly after their formation in 1989.

[3] For the majority of their existence and on every release, the lineup has consisted of vocalist/guitarist Scott McCloud, keyboardist/bassist Eli Janney, bassist Johnny Temple, and drummer Alexis Fleisig.

[4] The duo wanted to experiment with other genres that were different from what they were involved in, primarily Canty's main band Fugazi.

[7] McCloud then invited Temple and Fleisig to become involved with Girls Against Boys, and the trio worked with Janney on three additional studio songs in early 1990, described as more post-hardcore in nature.

McCloud, Temple, and Fleisig then convinced Janney to move from Florida to New York, and they opted to continue the band as a full-fledged project.

[10] Girls Against Boys decided to continue on as a quartet, and they then embarked on their first major tour of the U.S. in early 1992 as they opened for Fugazi.

Nathan Larson from the band Shudder to Think made guest appearances on various tracks, and Wood's guitar contributions remained as well.

[12] It received a favorable response and was eventually included on accolade lists by Alternative Press and Rock de Lux.

Both "(I) Don't Got a Place" and "Kill the Sexplayer" were released as singles, with the latter song also appearing in the influential comedy film Clerks and its accompanying soundtrack.

The band made their televised debut in January 1995 on The Jon Stewart Show, playing the two aforementioned singles.

House of GVSB was released in March 1996 and was critically praised by numerous outlets such as Spin (which ranked the album at No.

[13] They performed the track on the television shows 120 Minutes (along with the other House of GVSB single "Disco Six Six Six") and Nulle Part Ailleurs in 1996.

The 1996 film Suburbia contained Girls Against Boys' track "Bullet Proof Cupid" (originally from Venus Luxure No.

[6] There were only a handful of shows played throughout 1997, including the inaugural Fuji Rock Festival in Japan during the 1997 Pacific typhoon season.

[14] Numerous major labels approached Girls Against Boys since they completed their verbal three-album deal with Touch and Go.

Former Girls Against Boys guitarist Wood, who by then was working as an executive at Geffen Records, reached out to the band on behalf of his employer.

[18] Although Freak*on*ica performed moderately well (it was the band's best-selling effort up to that point), it did not meet Geffen Records' sales expectations.

[19] Also in 1999, two Girls Against Boys tracks from Freak*on*ica ("Park Avenue" and "Psycho-Future") appeared in the racing video game Test Drive Off-Road 3.

In late 2003, Girls Against Boys (without Janney) accompanied actress Gina Gershon as her backing band for a brief tour of the United States.

In the summer of 2013, the band reunited, and they embarked on a longer-than-usual European tour (with Schmersal filling in for an absent Janney) plus a handful of dates in the United States.

The prolonged reunion prompted the band to enter the studio, and in September 2013 they released their first new material in 11 years, The Ghost List.

[29] In early 2025, Girls Against Boys announced a short April tour of Japan alongside Soulside.

[30] McCloud and Temple played together in a side-project called New Wet Kojak, releasing two records on Chicago's Touch and Go followed with three more on Beggars Banquet.

The group included Geoff Turner (Gray Matter), Nick Pellicciotto (Edsel), and Charles Bennington (High Back Chairs).

The group featured revolving guests including Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses/The Psychedelic Furs), Geoff Sanoff (Edsel), Julia Kent, Simon Lenski (DAAU), Chris Smets, Libor Palucha, and also Girls Against Boys fill-in member Schmersal.

McCloud digitally released a solo live album in 2010 titled Dobeška 170910, recorded at a concert in Prague.

[33] After Girls Against Boys decreased their activity in 2003, Janney became a full-time producer for many musical acts, including Obits and James Blunt.

[38] The band then released a self-titled EP in 2021, which featured original Girls Against Boys member Canty on drums.