Marilyn Manson at Arizona Bike Week 2025 at WestWorld of Scottsdale

Marilyn Manson is a perpetually controversial presence and one of the key figures in aggressive, boundary-challenging rock music. Manson became a mainstream antihero in the 1990s — much to the chagrin of conservative politicians, religious leaders, and concerned parents — ruffling feathers and shocking the masses with his dark brand of glam-influenced industrial metal, outspoken social commentary, and incendiary live shows. The self-proclaimed “Antichrist Superstar,” he peddled a disquieting vision of society that focused on sex, drugs, violence, politics, and organized religion, which pushed many of his singles — including “The Dope Show,” “The Beautiful People,” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — into the upper reaches of the modern rock charts during the late ’90s and early 2000s. During his band’s commercial peak, the conceptual triptych of Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood won him a legion of die-hard fans while also attracting media attention and cultural notoriety. Following 2003’s The Golden Age of Grotesque, Manson entered his next era with a trio of releases that marked a downturn in mainstream popularity and sales. However, at the turn of the following decade, he staged a late-era comeback with a string of critically acclaimed albums: The Pale Emperor (2015), Heaven Upside Down (2017), and We Are Chaos (2020). After a series of abuse allegations came to light and he was dropped by his label and longtime manager, Manson remained out of the public eye until 2024, when he returned with his 12th album, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1.

Born Brian Warner, Manson was raised in Canton, Ohio. At the age of 18, he relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, where he worked as a music journalist. In 1989, he became friends with guitarist and fellow outsider Scott Mitchell Putesky; the two soon decided to form a band, with Putesky rechristening himself Daisy Berkowitz and Warner adopting the name Marilyn Manson. With the addition of bassist Gidget Gein and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, the group — originally dubbed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids — began self-releasing cassettes and playing gigs, their gothic stage shows notable for Manson’s elaborate makeup and homemade special effects. Jettisoning their drum machine in favor of Sara Lee Lucas, the band’s sound began taking on a harder edge, and by 1992 they were among the most popular and notorious acts in the South Florida underground.

In 1993, Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor came calling, offering both a contract with his Nothing Records label as well as the chance to open for NIN the following spring; Manson accepted both offers, and the group’s debut LP, Portrait of an American Family, appeared during the summer of 1994. With new bassist Twiggy Ramirez replacing Gein, the band’s notoriety soared. Most infamously, during an appearance in Salt Lake City, Manson ripped apart a copy of the Book of Mormon while on-stage. The Church of Satan’s founder, Anton LaVey, also bestowed upon him the title of “Reverend,” further stoking conservatives’ fears. Manson’s cult following continued to swell, and the band broke into the mainstream with the release of 1995’s Smells Like Children EP, propelled by their enduring hit cover of Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Berkowitz quit a short time later and was replaced by guitarist Zim Zum, and the revised group saw their next LP, 1996’s conceptual opus Antichrist Superstar, debut at the number three spot on the pop album charts and sell nearly two million copies in the U.S. alone. Produced by Trent Reznor, the multi-platinum Antichrist Superstar became the band’s most influential and defining statement. As Manson’s popularity grew, so did the furor surrounding him. His concerts were regularly picketed by civic groups, and his music was the subject of widespread attacks from right-wing and religious fronts.

Manson continued to court controversy in 1998 with the glam-inspired Mechanical Animals, which included cover art depicting the singer as a naked androgynous alien. The album became the band’s first to top the charts and spawned the singles “The Dope Show” and “I Don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me).” While the resulting tour yielded a live album, Last Tour on Earth, the trek was cut short in early 1999 after the band was erroneously blamed for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. Out of respect for the public, the group retreated from the spotlight and returned to the studio.