Marilyn Manson, without a doubt, emerged as one of the most provocative and divisive figures in music during the 1990s and 2000s. Fronted by the enigmatic Marilyn Manson—born Brian Hugh Warner in Canton, Ohio, on January 5, 1969—the band became a cultural lightning rod, captivating fans with their dark sonic fusion of gothic rock, glam, and metal while simultaneously shocking parents and conservative watchdog groups. His early years were spent attending a Christian school before transitioning to a secular institution, eventually enrolling at Broward Community College in Florida with dreams of becoming a music journalist. It was during this time, through writing assignments for a local magazine, that he crossed paths with influential artists like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails—connections that would later shape his own artistic direction.

In 1989, everything changed when Warner met Scott Putesky. The two quickly bonded over a shared fascination with duality—the tension between good and evil—and decided to form a band rooted in that concept. Thus, Marilyn Manson (then known as Marilyn Monroe and the Spooky Kids) was born. Drawing inspiration from celebrity glamour and infamy, each member adopted a stage name blending icons of beauty—like Marilyn Monroe—with notorious criminals such as Charles Manson, hence the frontman’s now-iconic moniker: Marilyn Manson. Over the years, the lineup evolved constantly, featuring talents like Tyler Bates, Chris Vrenna, Jeordie White (Twiggy Ramirez), Timothy Linton (Zim Zum), and John Lowery (John 5).

The band rapidly gained traction in South Florida’s underground club scene, thanks to their theatrical live shows filled with blood, nudity, pyrotechnics, and confrontational imagery. After dropping “Spooky Kids” from their name, they caught the attention of Trent Reznor, who signed them to his label, Nothing Records, and produced their debut album, Portrait of an American Family (1994). Marilyn Manson’s flair for controversy only amplified their reach—he was even dubbed “Reverend” by Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan—and his onstage destruction of a Book of Mormon in Salt Lake City sparked national headlines. An opening slot on Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 tour, along with performances alongside Danzig and Korn, helped push the album to No. 35 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

Not long after, Marilyn Manson returned to the studio with Reznor to release Smells Like Children (1995), an EP driven by a haunting cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and its surreal music video. That eerie success set the stage for what would become a defining moment in the band’s career: Antichrist Superstar (1996). With its aggressive, militaristic sound and tracks like “The Beautiful People,” which cracked the Top 30 on the U.S. singles chart, the album skyrocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Public reaction was a volatile mix of fascination and outrage, with religious and political groups decrying the band’s influence—so much so that congressional hearings were held to examine the impact of their lyrics. All of it fueled the massively successful “Dead to the World” tour.

Behind the scenes, life mirrored the chaos of their music. In his candid 1998 autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn Manson pulled no punches in describing his hedonistic lifestyle, while band members continued cycling in and out of the group. Still, the mission remained clear: to challenge norms and deliver a powerful, unsettling musical message. For their third album, Mechanical Animals (1998), Marilyn Manson embraced a glam-inspired persona reminiscent of David Bowie’s alien alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. The album, featuring Manson as an androgynous extraterrestrial on the cover, debuted at No. 1 on the charts, solidifying his status as a leading force in mainstream rock.

However, the accompanying tour with Hole was marred by backstage tensions and, more significantly, accusations linking the band’s music to the tragic Columbine High School shootings in 1999. Deeply affected, Marilyn Manson and the band took much of 1999 and 2000 off to regroup and work on new material. The result was Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000), which Manson positioned as the final chapter in a thematic trilogy that included Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals. Though it didn’t match the commercial heights of its predecessors, the album’s themes of fame, violence, and rebellion resonated deeply. Ironically, it was the band’s cover of “Tainted Love” that dominated international charts, overshadowing the original material in many regions.

Having completed the trilogy, Marilyn Manson looked to a new muse: the decadent yet oppressive cabaret culture of Weimar-era Germany. This inspired The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003), an album lauded by critics and celebrated commercially, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200—Manson’s second time atop the chart. The tour that followed featured elaborate sets and costumes echoing the era’s blend of severity and excess. Notably, this was the last album released under Nothing Records, which had collapsed due to legal disputes between Reznor and a business partner.

Afterward, Marilyn Manson entered a period of intense creativity but limited output. He explored side projects, including visual art and a long-planned film adaptation based on Lewis Carroll’s works—though that project never came to fruition. Instead, he focused on Eat Me, Drink Me (2007), recorded for Interscope Records with just Manson and former KMFDM member Tim Skold handling all instrumentation. The album landed in the Top 10 and reaffirmed Marilyn Manson’s enduring presence in rock.

But outside the studio, his personal world was crumbling. His marriage to burlesque icon Dita von Teese ended, and his turbulent relationship with actress Evan Rachel Wood—central to the emotional core of Eat Me, Drink Me—also fell apart, plunging him into depression and self-destructive behavior. He channeled that pain into The High End of Low (2009), which debuted at No. 4 but saw lukewarm sales. Promotion for the album proved controversial: Marilyn Manson publicly criticized Interscope and its CEO Jimmy Iovine, upsetting longtime ally Trent Reznor, and the music video for “Running to the Edge of the World,” depicting him assaulting an actress resembling Wood, drew widespread backlash.

For the next two years, Marilyn Manson largely disappeared from public view, resurfacing occasionally with cryptic or explicit artistic endeavors—most notably the short film Born Villain (2011), which later gave its name to the band’s next album. Born Villain marked a strong comeback: its lead single, “No Reflection,” earned a Grammy nomination and spent 26 weeks on the Mainstream Rock chart, while the album itself ruled the top spot for two weeks.

Meanwhile, Marilyn Manson had begun exploring acting, playing a fictionalized version of himself on Showtime’s Californication (2007–2014). There, he reconnected with composer Tyler Bates, leading to a fruitful musical collaboration. Their first joint effort, The Pale Emperor (2015), drew inspiration from the death of Marilyn Manson’s mother and became the band’s most successful record since Eat Me, Drink Me, debuting at No. 8. The lead single, “Deep Six,” hit No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

A planned tour with Smashing Pumpkins reignited Manson’s creative rapport with Billy Corgan, who had influenced the glam direction of Mechanical Animals—though that collaboration ultimately didn’t materialize. Nevertheless, Marilyn Manson and Tyler Bates forged ahead, delivering Heaven Upside Down in 2017, the band’s tenth studio album. Once again, critical reception was strong, and the album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, continuing Marilyn Manson’s legacy of reinvention, resilience, and relentless artistic provocation.