Matt Friction and original drummer Bob Ferrari recruited Jon Decious (bass) and released their first EP, The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over!, in 2004.
[2] The Pink Spiders performed at The Viper Room in West Hollywood on March 2, 2005, after which they were signed by Geffen Records.
In August 2016, the band performed a sold-out show at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN to celebrate the ten year anniversary of their Geffen Records release "Teenage Graffiti".
He occasionally filled in on guitar for Oliver's Army, where Robert William Fort V (known as "Bob Ferrari") played drums.
Influences from artists such as Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and Cheap Trick were apparent in Friction's songwriting.
An old friend of Friction, Jason Hollis, lived in Los Angeles and told the group about Dan Catullo, a producer.
Catullo arranged a private show for the band at West Hollywood's The Viper Room, where they would perform for numerous major labels.
The group asked their friend, Dave Paulson (frontman of Nashville-based The Privates), to play guitar with them at the show and he accepted.
The song received heavy rotation on the video network, Fuse, and reached the top spot on the Los Angeles-based radio station, KROQ.
It was featured on the reality television series The Hills and was played in the clothing store Hollister Co. That year, The Pink Spiders performed on the Vans Warped Tour.
The Pink Spiders toured with many popular bands such as Thirty Seconds to Mars, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Meg & Dia, All Time Low, Sugarcult, Damone, Kill Hannah, and Fall Out Boy in support of this album.
Geffen hired Brendan O'Brien as the producer — his experience included work for musicians such as Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and Bruce Springsteen.
The group lost "clothes, laptops, passports, id's, ipods, cameras, receipts, cash, song lyrics, everything."
[8] The band encountered disagreements over money and direction leading Decious and Ferrari to announce they would no longer be members of The Pink Spiders.
[6] Friction recruited replacements for Decious and Ferrari — Raf Cevallos on guitar, Joe Reilly on drums, and Ben Young on bass.
He embarked on a variety of side projects, including Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots and The Dozen Dimes.
He also announced that they had resolved their differences, but that Decious would be pursuing other interests — Brandon Jazz assumed bassist duties.
On August 6, 2016, the original lineup of Friction, Ferrari, and Decious reunited for a concert at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of Teenage Graffiti.
The tour was a success and ultimately helped the band immensely when they announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund Mutations in January 2018.
In May 2008, the Pink Spiders played for a Sweet 16 featured in Episode 6 of the Fourth Season of Hell's Kitchen, Performing "Seventeen Candles".