Editing Dead Kennedys (section)

=== ''Bedtime for Democracy'' and break-up (1986) ===
In addition to the obscenity lawsuit, the band became increasingly disillusioned with the underground scene as well. The hardcore scene, which had been a haven for free-thinking intellectuals and downtrodden nonconformists, was attracting a more violent audience that imposed an increasing level of brutality on other concertgoers and began to alienate many of the bands and individuals who had helped pioneer the movement in the early 1980s. In earlier years the band had criticized neo-Nazi skinheads for trying to ruin the punk scene, but just as big a problem was the popularity of increasingly macho hardcore bands, which brought the group (and their genre) an audience that had little to do with the ideas/ideals they stood for. Biafra penned new songs such as "[[Bedtime for Democracy|Chickenshit Conformist]]" and "[[Bedtime for Democracy|Anarchy for Sale]]" that articulated the band's feelings about the "dumbing down" of punk rock. During the summer they recorded these for their final album, ''[[Bedtime for Democracy]]'', which was released in November. The artwork, depicting a defaced [[Statue of Liberty]] overrun with Nazis, media, opportunists, Klan members, corrupt government officials, and religious zombies, echoed the idea that neither America itself nor the punk scene were safe havens any more for "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The album contains a number of fast/short songs interspersed with jazz ("D.M.S.O."), spoken word ("A Commercial") and psychedelia ("Cesspools In Eden").{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

The band decided to split up in January 1986, prior to the recording and release of ''Bedtime for Democracy'', and played their last live show with the original lineup on 21 February.<ref>{{Cite web |last=bigspin |date=2011-04-06 |title=Dead Kennedys |url=https://beat.com.au/dead-kennedys/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Beat Magazine |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Punknews.org |title=Dead Kennedys – Bedtime for Democracy |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/15413/dead-kennedys-bedtime-for-democracy |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.punknews.org |date=July 30, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Biafra went on to speak about his political beliefs on numerous television shows and he released a number of [[spoken-word]] albums. Ray, Flouride, and Peligro also went on to solo careers. As of 2025, it remains the band's final studio album.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cleary |first1=David |title=Bedtime for Democracy - Dead Kennedys (review) |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bedtime-for-democracy-mw0000189623 |website=AllMusic |access-date=May 14, 2025}}</ref>