Bay Area pop-punk band Samiam first broke through in the early '90s with driving, melodic songs informed by hardcore's precision and an introspective lyrical bent that appealed to emo audiences. Though they incubated in the D.I.Y.-or-die environment of the Gilman Street all-ages punk scene, they spent many of their early years working with major labels and experiencing marginal success in the mainstream. Samiam soldiered on for years after commercial high points like the Atlantic-released 1994 album Clumsy, moving through lineup changes and sporadic phases of inactivity, and refining their anthemic sound on albums like 2023's Stowaway.