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Band Guide · Stone Temple Pilots · Alternative Rock / Grunge / Hard Rock · San Diego, CA

Stone Temple PilotsBand Guide

Formed 1989 · San Diego, California · Alternative Rock / Grunge / Hard Rock

Stone Temple Pilots were one of the most commercially successful and stylistically versatile alternative rock bands of the 1990s — a San Diego band that arrived in the grunge era, got unfairly dismissed as derivative, and then proceeded to demonstrate over their first three albums that they had more musical range than most of their contemporaries. Scott Weiland's chameleon-like vocal approach, the DeLeo brothers' guitar and bass interplay, and Eric Kretz's driving drumming gave the band a flexibility that moved from sludgy hard rock to acoustic balladry to glam-inflected pop without ever losing coherence. This is the complete guide to one of the decade's most underrated major bands.

Best Songs Ranked Play Rock Heardle
Stone Temple Pilots band photo
Formed1989San Diego, California
Studio Albums7
Core Sales8× PlatinumUS debut album
Best AlbumPurple1994
Start WithPlush

Who Are Stone Temple Pilots?

Stone Temple Pilots are an American rock band formed in San Diego, California in 1989. The classic lineup — Scott Weiland (vocals), Dean DeLeo (guitar), Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kretz (drums) — produced seven studio albums between 1992 and 2010, with significant hiatuses caused by Weiland's well-documented struggles with addiction. Their debut album Core (1992) was certified 8× platinum in the US and produced three major singles; the follow-up Purple (1994) debuted at number one.

The critical narrative around the band in the early 1990s was that they were grunge imitators — Seattle's sound transplanted to San Diego by a band too late to the party. That narrative has not held up well. The stylistic range on display across Core, Purple, and Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) — from Zeppelin-influenced heavy rock through Beatles-esque pop to glam-influenced art rock — demonstrates a musicality that simple genre categorisation obscures. Weiland's vocal chameleonism was a genuine artistic gift, and the DeLeo brothers' ability to operate across genres gave the band a range that most grunge-era contemporaries couldn't match.

Scott Weiland & the Addiction Years

Scott Weiland's personal struggles with heroin and other substances were a constant presence in the band's history — publicly acknowledged, legally consequential, and directly implicated in multiple hiatuses. Weiland was fired from the band twice (in 2003 and 2013) and pursued parallel and solo projects including Velvet Revolver, a supergroup with Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum of Guns N' Roses, which produced two albums. His personal difficulties are inseparable from the band's story.

Scott Weiland died on December 3, 2015, of an accidental drug overdose, at the age of 48. He was found unresponsive on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, while on tour with his band The Wildabouts. The band subsequently recruited Jeff Gutt as lead vocalist and released a self-titled album in 2018. The DeLeo brothers and Eric Kretz continue to record and tour as Stone Temple Pilots.

New to Stone Temple Pilots?

Start with "Plush" — the most immediately melodic and accessible entry point from Core. Then Purple (1994) as a full album — the artistic peak and the record that most comprehensively demonstrates the band's range. Core is the essential historical companion.

The Classic Lineup

SW
Scott Weiland
Vocals · 1989–2003, 2008–2013
One of the most distinctive rock vocalists of the 1990s. Weiland's ability to shift between registers and styles within the same record — from the sludgy baritone of the heavier tracks to the clean, almost crooning delivery of the ballads — gave the band a vocal flexibility that most alternative rock acts couldn't match. His charisma and physical presence as a frontman were equally significant: he was genuinely compelling to watch at a time when being compelling was enough. He died on December 3, 2015.
DD
Dean DeLeo
Guitar · 1989–present
The band's lead guitarist and one of the most underrated guitarists of the alternative rock era. DeLeo's stylistic range — from the heavy, tuned-down riffing of the debut through the more melodic, arrangement-conscious work of Purple and Tiny Music — reflects the band's stylistic evolution and gives the records a tonal character that connects them despite their surface differences. His work on the quieter tracks is particularly inventive.
RD
Robert DeLeo
Bass · Vocals · 1989–present
The bass-playing DeLeo brother and the band's primary backing vocalist. Robert's melodic bass approach gives the band's arrangements a harmonic depth that most hard rock bass players don't contribute — his lines are melodically active rather than purely rhythmic, and in combination with Dean's guitar they create an interlocking texture that is distinctively STP. His backing vocals on the mellower tracks are among the most effective in the catalogue.
EK
Eric Kretz
Drums · 1989–present
The band's drummer across their entire career, Kretz's playing adapts across the significant stylistic range of the catalogue — from the thunderous, Bonham-influenced approach of the heavier tracks to the lighter, groove-oriented playing of the more pop-influenced material. His ability to serve the song rather than assert a consistent stylistic identity is a primary reason the band's stylistic range holds together as well as it does.

Band History

1989
Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo form the nucleus of what will become Stone Temple Pilots in San Diego, California. Dean DeLeo and Eric Kretz complete the classic lineup. The band rehearse and develop their sound through the San Diego club circuit.
1992
Core released on Atlantic Records. The album produces three major singles — "Sex Type Thing," "Wicked Garden," and "Plush" — and becomes one of the best-selling rock albums of the decade. It is certified 8× platinum in the US. Critical response is mixed, with many dismissing the band as grunge imitators from outside Seattle.
1994
Purple released — debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. The album demonstrates the band's stylistic range far beyond the debut, producing "Vasoline," "Tumble in the Rough," "Unsung," and "Pretty Penny." Weiland is arrested on drug charges during the recording period.
1996
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop released — the most stylistically adventurous of the classic albums, with a glam and Beatles influence that distances it from the grunge categorisation of the debut. "Lady Picture Show" and "Tumble in the Rough" are key tracks. Recording was disrupted by Weiland entering rehabilitation.
1997
Weiland sentenced to a year of drug treatment by a court order. The band go on hiatus. Dean and Robert DeLeo form Talk Show with vocalist Dave Coutts.
1999
No. 4 released — the band reunite for a slightly harder return to their original sound. "Tumble in the Rough" and "Days of the Week" are notable tracks. The album reaches number seven on the Billboard 200.
2001
Shangri-La Dee Da released. Weiland's addiction issues continue to destabilise the band's activity around this period.
2003
The band fire Weiland for the first time. The DeLeo brothers and Kretz form Velvet Revolver with Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, recruiting Weiland as vocalist — a temporary détente. Velvet Revolver releases two albums.
2008
Stone Temple Pilots reunite with Weiland. A self-titled album follows in 2010, reaching number six on the Billboard 200.
2013
The band fire Weiland a second time via a public statement, citing his continued drug use and unreliability.
2015
Scott Weiland dies on December 3 of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 48, while on tour with his band The Wildabouts in Bloomington, Minnesota.
2018
Stone Temple Pilots release a self-titled album with new vocalist Jeff Gutt, continuing to record and tour as a band.

Discography

1994
Purple
Vasoline, Tumble in the Rough, Unsung, Pretty Penny, Silvergun Superman. Debuted at #1. The artistic peak and the correct starting album.
Essential
1992
Core
Plush, Creep, Sex Type Thing, Wicked Garden. 8× Platinum US. The commercial breakthrough and historical starting point.
Essential
1996
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
Lady Picture Show, Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Pretty Penny (acoustic). The most stylistically ambitious album — glam, Beatles, chamber pop.
Essential
1999
No. 4
Days of the Week, Still Remains, Tumble in the Rough. The post-hiatus return — harder, more direct than Tiny Music.
Great
2001
Shangri-La Dee Da
Days of the Week, Hello It's Late. Uneven but containing strong individual tracks.
Good

Stone Temple Pilots Trivia Quiz

Five questions — how many can you get right?

Best Songs by Mood

Not sure where to begin? Use this as your entry point.

First song ever
Plush
Most energetic
Vasoline
Most emotional
Creep
Most ballad-like
Pretty Penny
Most glam
Lady Picture Show
Most aggressive
Sex Type Thing
Most Purple deep cut
Silvergun Superman
Most underrated
Tumble in the Rough

Stone Temple Pilots FAQ

When did Stone Temple Pilots form?
Stone Temple Pilots formed in San Diego, California in 1989. The classic lineup of Scott Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz recorded seven studio albums between 1992 and 2010. Despite being frequently categorised as grunge, the band consistently demonstrated a broader musical range than that label suggests.
What happened to Scott Weiland?
Scott Weiland died on December 3, 2015, of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 48. He was found unresponsive on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, while touring with his band The Wildabouts. Weiland had struggled with addiction throughout his career and had been fired from Stone Temple Pilots twice — in 2003 and 2013 — due to his substance use.
What is the best Stone Temple Pilots album to start with?
Purple (1994) is widely regarded as the band's best album and the correct starting point for new listeners — it debuted at number one and demonstrates the full range of the band's abilities across a single record. Core (1992) is the essential historical companion and the album most responsible for the band's commercial breakthrough. Tiny Music (1996) is the most stylistically adventurous and the best third listen.
Were Stone Temple Pilots really grunge?
Stone Temple Pilots were frequently labelled grunge on the basis of their commercial timing — they arrived in 1992 at the peak of the genre's mainstream moment, had a heavy debut album, and Scott Weiland's vocal style drew comparisons to Eddie Vedder. The label was always reductive: the band formed in San Diego rather than Seattle, their musical influences included Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and the Beatles alongside grunge contemporaries, and the stylistic range of their first three albums makes simple genre categorisation difficult. Tiny Music in particular is essentially a glam and art pop record.
What is Velvet Revolver?
Velvet Revolver was a supergroup formed in 2002 by Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz alongside Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum — three former members of Guns N' Roses — with Scott Weiland as vocalist. The project emerged from a period when Weiland had been separated from Stone Temple Pilots. Velvet Revolver released two studio albums — Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007) — before Weiland departed to reunite with STP.
Do Stone Temple Pilots still exist?
Yes — Stone Temple Pilots continue to record and tour with Jeff Gutt as their lead vocalist, following Scott Weiland's death in 2015. The band released a self-titled album in 2018 and have remained active. Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz are the continuing members. Some fans and critics regard the post-Weiland band as a continuation; others treat the Weiland-era catalogue as the definitive work.

See Also