[3] The original members of the Dwarves began making music together in the mid-1980s as teenagers in the Chicago garage rock outfit, Suburban Nightmare, which was compared to The Sonics,[4][5] and which has been described as part of the Paisley Underground scene.

[12] Recess records issued Free Cocaine 86–88 in 1999, a 39-song collection that shows the band's transition to the nihilistic style that took them to the Sub Pop era.

[4] In 2004 the band released The Dwarves Must Die, its first LP for the indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry, which featured guest appearances from Dexter Holland (The Offspring), Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age), Nash Kato (Urge Overkill), and voice actor Gary Owens.

[4][7] The lineup has shifted around them, and currently consists of members "Rex Everything" on bass and vocals, "The Fresh Prince of Darkness" on guitar and "Snupac" on drums.

Former members include "Dutch Ovens", "Gregory Pecker", "Chip Fracture", "Wholley Smokes", "Clint Torres", "Tazzie Bushweed", "Thrusty Otis", "Crash Landon", "Wreck Tom", "Hunter Down" and "Vadge Moore", among others.

Their shows have been notable for some aggressive fights on stage (with the audience and even a cop), and because HeWhoCannotBeNamed performs either in nothing but a jockstrap or totally nude, apart from his trademark "Rey Mysterio" wrestling mask.

[2] Many of the band's album covers are controversial, often featuring dwarf actor Bobby Faust with an assortment of naked women, sometimes with sacrilegious themes such as re-enacting the Crucifixion.