The Violent Femmes, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1980, is a three-piece American alternative rock band, noted for laying the groundwork for folk punk. The band has had four members: singer, guitarist and songwriter Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie, and two drummers, Victor DeLorenzo and Guy Hoffman.

The Violent Femmes are an alternative rock band that formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 1980s. Gordon Gano (singer/guitarist), Brian Ritchie (bassist), and Victor DeLorenzo (percussionist) founded the group. The music was an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock . The lyrics mix common adolescent themes like yearning for love, sex and affection with explorations of sin, death, and the hope of salvation. Their songs often expressed both a lyrical and musical sense o