Pinhead Gunpowder was founded in Arcata, California in January 1991 by drummer Aaron Cometbus and guitarist Jon Quittner. They would soon recruit vocalist Doug Grime and bassist David Kimmel to round out the first incarnation of the group. It was Cometbus who suggested the name “Pinhead Gunpowder” while Quittner preferred “50 Foot Hesher”, Cometbus would win that battle but it was all for nought as the band broke up after their first gig. Cometbus would move back to Berkeley, taking the band name with him, while Quittner would rename the band 50 Foot Hesher and continue on in Arcata without him.

Back in Berkeley, Cometbus fashioned the second incarnation of Pinhead Gunpowder with Bill Schneider (bass) and Sarah Kirsch (guitar/vocals) of The Skinflutes along with Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar/vocals). In 1993, Kirsch left Pinhead Gunpowder and was replaced by Jason White which would mark the final change to the band’s lineup. Kirsch would, unfortunately, pass away in 2012 after suffering from a rare genetic disease called Fanconi Anemia.

While Aaron Cometbus is the primary songwriter for Pinhead Gunpowder, Billie Joe has contributed four songs to the band (‘Walkin’ Catastrophe’, ’27’, ‘New Blood’ and ‘Anniversary Song’) under the pen name “Wilhelm Fink”. Writing credits for ‘Walkin’ Catastrophe’ are given to Jason White but he has confirmed that Billie wrote the song and gave him credit to avoid publishing issues with Green Day’s label.

In 2024, the band released their first new music since 2008 with the full length record, Unt. In 2026, Pinhead Gunpowder announced a 12 show tour, which will mark their first live performances since 2010. The tour will also be the first time the band has played outside of California since 1994.