Stone Temple Pilots

The Profile

Stone Temple Pilots are an American rock band that emerged in the early 1990s and became closely associated with the grunge/alternative boom, while exploring classic rock and pop-rock detours across their albums. Their history is marked by major lineup turmoil and multiple vocal eras, yet the band continued releasing and performing after the death of original frontman Scott Weiland.

Publicly verifiable: formed in 1989 in San Diego, California; core classic lineup included Scott Weiland (vocals), Dean DeLeo (guitar), Robert DeLeo (bass), Eric Kretz (drums). Debut album Core was released in 1992, followed by Purple (1994) and Tiny Music... (1996). Scott Weiland died in 2015; Chester Bennington served as vocalist for a brief period (2013–2015) and died in 2017; Jeff Gutt became vocalist in 2017.

Across these reviews, Stone Temple Pilots are framed as a major ’90s American rock band with constant turbulence, big songs, and a long argument about originality versus grunge-era imitation. Fans praise the songwriting, DeLeo textures, and Weiland’s charisma, while critics call early albums derivative. Later-era discussion focuses on survival after Scott Weiland’s death and Chester Bennington’s brief stint, with Jeff Gutt’s arrival dividing listeners. Overall: plenty of affection, some skepticism, and a shared sense that the catalog still hits.