Fat Wreck Chords

Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco independent label closely identified with punk rock and with the band NOFX. It was started in 1990 by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett, and has remained associated with the sound and touring network of modern American punk.

The label’s catalogue is rooted in melodic and skate-adjacent punk, with releases that often emphasize fast tempos, sharp songwriting, and a DIY sensibility. NOFX has been central to the label’s profile, both as a recording artist and as a reference point for the label’s broader aesthetic. Over time, Fat Wreck Chords also became a home for bands working across related strains of punk, including the technical and aggressive edge of Strung Out and the politically minded melodic punk of Good Riddance. Projects such as Me First and the Gimme Gimmes reflect the label’s willingness to accommodate humor and genre play within a punk framework, while later-era signings like Bad Cop Bad Cop and The Last Gang underline its continued focus on contemporary punk bands.

Fat Wreck Chords has also been known for organizing releases into recurring series. These have included the live album series Live In A Dive, along with limited-run subscription-style singles programs such as Fat Club and the 7 Inch Of The Month Club releases associated with NOFX. As of 2009, Fat Wreck Chords had released over 300 studio albums, reflecting a substantial output for an independent label operating within a specific genre niche.