Editing The Offspring (section)

===Mainstream success with ''Smash'' (1994–1995)===
When the Offspring returned to the studio in January 1994 to record their third album,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ocweekly.com/the-offspring-are-still-smashing-6429929/|title=The Offspring Are Still Smashing|work=[[Orange County Register|OC Register]]|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=September 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917181800/https://www.ocweekly.com/the-offspring-are-still-smashing-6429929/|archive-date=September 17, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><!-- The OC Register article says recording took place during the Northridge Earthquake, which was January 1994. --><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-25-ca-31148-story.html|title=Helping Make Offspring a Smash|work=[[Los Angeles Times|Los Angeles]]|date=August 25, 1994|access-date=September 17, 2018}}</ref> the band's relations with producer Thom Wilson had begun to strain. Three months later, the Offspring released what would become their biggest-selling album, titled ''[[Smash (The Offspring album)|Smash]]''. The album was initially released to little mainstream attention until its lead single "[[Come Out and Play (The Offspring song)|Come Out and Play]]" received airplay from the Los Angeles radio station [[KROQ-FM]], helping to raise the band's profile and eventually hitting number one on the [[Alternative Airplay|''Billboard'' rock charts]] for two weeks in the summer of 1994.<ref name="rockonnet" /><ref name="RS">{{cite web |author=Richard Bienstock |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-offsprings-smash-the-little-punk-lp-that-defeated-the-majors-20140408 |title=The Offspring's 'Smash': The Little Punk LP That Defeated the Majors |date=April 8, 2014 |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507012128/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-offsprings-smash-the-little-punk-lp-that-defeated-the-majors-20140408 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Barry Thompson |url=http://clizbeats.com/throwbackthursday-self-esteem-by-the-offspring-1644/ |title=#ThrowbackThursday: "Self Esteem" By the Offspring |website=Clizbeats.com |date=July 26, 2018 |access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>

The success of "Come Out and Play" not only propelled ''Smash'' to peak at number four on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and receive simultaneous [[Recording Industry Association of America|gold and platinum]] certification four months after its release,<ref name="RIAA Smash">{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Offspring&ti=Smash&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=RIAA Gold & Platinum Database|website=RIAA.com|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref> but it also helped bring punk rock into the mainstream and is often considered a breakthrough album for the then-underground [[pop-punk]] and [[skate punk]] scenes.<ref name="rockonnet" /><ref name="RS" /><ref>{{cite web|author=Joe D'angelo |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1491001/how-green-days-dookie-fertilized-a-punk-rock-revival/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508205918/http://www.mtv.com/news/1491001/how-green-days-dookie-fertilized-a-punk-rock-revival/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |title=How Green Day's Dookie Fertilized A Punk-Rock Revival |website=[[MTV|MTV.com]] |date=September 14, 2004 |access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Melissa Bobbitt |url=http://90srock.about.com/od/Reviews/fl/The-Offsprings-Smash-Turns-20.htm |title=The Offspring's 'Smash' Turns 20 |website=[[About.com]] |date=April 8, 2014 |access-date=June 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712100116/http://90srock.about.com/od/Reviews/fl/The-Offsprings-Smash-Turns-20.htm |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Barry Thompson |url=http://www.vanyaland.com/2014/04/08/smash-dead-reflecting-offsprings-punk-breakout-20th-anniversary/ |title='Smash' It Dead: Reflecting on the Offspring's punk breakout, which turns 20 years old today |website=Vanyaland.com |date=April 8, 2014 |access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref> The album's next two singles, "[[Self Esteem (song)|Self Esteem]]" and "[[Gotta Get Away (The Offspring song)|Gotta Get Away]]", had similar success to "Come Out and Play" in both chart performance and radio airplay. ''Smash'' has continued to sell consistently well in the years since its release, setting an all-time record for most units sold by an independent label band at over 11 million records<ref name="huffington" /> and having sold over six million copies in the U.S. by 2000.<ref name="RIAA Smash" /> The album also sold very well outside of the U.S., particularly in Australia, where it debuted No.&nbsp;1 on the [[ARIA Charts]], and remained in that position for three weeks in 1995.

The Offspring toured extensively throughout 1994 and 1995 in support of ''Smash''. In addition to opening for bands like [[Pennywise (band)|Pennywise]], [[Bad Religion]], and [[SNFU]], the band had already graduated to headliner status by the summer of 1994, when they toured North America with [[Guttermouth]] and [[Big Drill Car]]. They toured Europe with Desaster Area, and then the US in the fall with [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]].<ref name="past dates">{{cite web |url=http://www.offspring-online.de/pastdates.htm|title=Past Tour Dates|website=offspring-online.de|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref>

Touring for ''Smash'' continued throughout the first half of 1995, playing their first shows in Japan and Australia (including appearances at [[Big Day Out]]) and headlining tour dates with bands like [[Weezer]], [[Quicksand (band)|Quicksand]], [[No Use for a Name]], [[the Vandals]], and [[Lunachicks]]. By the end of the album's supporting tour, the Offspring had started playing at larger venues such as theaters and arenas as opposed to the clubs and smaller venues they were previously accustomed to.<ref name="past dates" />

Also in 1995, the band bought out the rights to their first album. Holland and Kriesel had created their own record label [[Nitro Records]] and started signing bands. One of their first releases was a re-release of the band's 1989 debut album, ''[[The Offspring (album)|The Offspring]]''. The label also signed a number of punk bands including the Vandals, Guttermouth, [[Jughead's Revenge]], and [[AFI (band)|AFI]]. Soon after, [[Nitro Records]] became solely Holland's responsibility.