Ugly Kid Joe

Ugly Kid Joe is an American rock band that has released three full-length albums, two compilation albums and two EPs. Their best selling records are As Ugly as They Wanna Be and America's Least Wanted, which were both certified double platinum by the RIAA.

The band released the E.P. "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" in October 1991, garnering success in 1992 with the single "Everything About You", which peaked at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and made it into the Billboard Top 10. Later in the year the song was used in the movie Wayne's World. "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone becoming the highest selling debut E.P. of all time.

America's Least Wanted was released in 1992 and appeared on the U.S. charts at No. 27 and went platinum in the U.S.A. A cover of Harry Chapin’s "Cat's in the Cradle" was subsequently released as a well-received single that sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and peaked at No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart.

The band later on went on tour to open up for Ozzy Osbourne and later for Def Leppard for their European leg of the tour. The band appeared at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards and presented The Favorite Heavy Metal band award to Metallica at the American Music Awards in 1993. The band would also get nominated for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist but lost to Pearl Jam.

Their second album, Menace to Sobriety, was released in the summer of 1995. The band toured in support of the album and did a stadium tour opening for Bon Jovi and Van Halen.

Ugly Kid Joe formed its own independent label, Evilution Records, for the release of the band's next album. Motel California was released in late 1996, and the band toured Europe. The band disbanded in 1997.

In 2005, an unreleased video for 'Bicycle Wheels' was made public onto the Ugly Kid Joe forum site. In 2007, an official Myspace page was made of the band, with old photographs of the band and other candid pictures along with promotional artwork and uploaded live footage and another unreleased music video for 'Sandwich'. Soon videos were turning up on YouTube by fans, some included live recordings of them in concert and television recordings.

In 2010, the band planned a reunion and were working on a new album. The new EP, Stairway to Hell, was released in the summer of 2012.