Emergence as biggest pop punk act

By 2004, Blink-182—consisting of bassist Mark Hoppus, guitarist Tom DeLonge , and drummer Travis Barker—had emerged as the biggest pop punk act of the era, releasing the multiplatinum album Enema of the State (1999) and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), which reached number one. The band took a brief break in 2002 when DeLonge suffered a herniated disc in his back. During this time, he collected several darker musical ideas he felt unsuitable for Blink-182, compiling them in the album Box Car Racer . This latter was recorded with the help of Hazen Street guitarist and longtime friend David Kennedy, and was intended as a one-time experimental project, but evolved into a full-fledged band , with Barker behind the kit. This side project would cause great division between DeLonge and Hoppus, who was not included and felt betrayed. The moody subject matter and music on Box Car Racer edged its way into the Blink sound as well, and the band explored experimental elements on their fifth album, the untitled album (2003).