It was formed in 1985 by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and drummer Jason Roeder, initially as a crust punk band.

Chad Salter joined as a second guitarist and appeared on the band's 1987 debut Pain of Mind and then Steve Von Till replaced him in 1989.

[4] With The Word as Law, Neurosis began to transition[5] from the rapid-fire hardcore punk of Pain of Mind to the more experimental sound of Souls at Zero, which featured slower tempos, unorthodox song structures, and guest performers on instruments like trumpet, violin and flute.

Neurosis' signature sound came into full force with Enemy of the Sun, with The Quietus observing that "at the time few could have predicted this black hole of agonizingly precise metal riffs, unnerving backmasking, industrial folkisms and extensive sampling".

[18] Following a Facebook post confessing to allegations of abuse towards his wife and family, Scott Kelly retired from music and public life in August 2022.

[19] According to a statement released by the band's Facebook page the next day, Kelly had been quietly expelled from the group in 2019 when his bandmates discovered the extent of his abuse and domestic violence.

[20] The band never made any prior formal announcements regarding this "out of respect for [Kelly's] wife's direct request for privacy, and to honor the family's wish not to let their experience become gossip in a music magazine."

"[20] In January 2025, drummer Jason Roeder announced on his social media pages that he would no longer be touring and he intended to sell most, if not all, of his musical equipment.

Josh Graham took over live visuals in early 2000 as Pete wasn't "cutting the mustard" (in the words of Steve Von Till), and created album artwork for 2004's The Eye of Every Storm, 2007's Given to the Rising, and 2012's Honor Found in Decay, as well as re-designs for the reissues of Souls at Zero and Enemy of the Sun.

"[39] When asked what the band's influences are in a 2000 interview, Scott Kelly stated: "Mainly ourselves at this point, but our foundation ranges through Black Flag, Pink Floyd, Die Kreuzen, Amebix, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, The Melvins, Celtic Frost and, of course, Hank Williams.

"[23] In other interviews, members of the band also listed Throbbing Gristle, Joy Division, Black Sabbath, Crass, Voivod, Loop, Godflesh, Swans, and Townes Van Zandt as influences.

[40][41][42][43] In 2007, Steve Von Till stated that lyrically he and Kelly are inspired by literature, alluding to writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Jack London, and Paul Bowles.

[44] In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, the band cited the British Anarcho-punk bands of the early 80s "rife with bitterness, rage and fear, but also possessed of a desire to experiment with punk rock’s parameters, be they sonic, visual or ideological" as being a collective influence, including Flux of Pink Indians, Oi Polloi, Icons of Filth, Amebix, Discharge, Subhumans, Rudimentary Peni, Crass and Chumbawamba.

"[47] Many bands and artists have cited Neurosis as an important inspiration, including Converge,[48] Slipknot,[49] Agalloch,[50] Yob,[51] Isis,[52] Mastodon,[53] Amenra,[54] Kylesa,[55] Pelican,[56] Wolves in the Throne Room,[57][58] Cobalt,[59] Withered,[60] Baroness,[61] Oathbreaker,[62] Chelsea Wolfe,[63][64] Pallbearer,[65] and Full of Hell.