Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records. Restless also had a fully owned subsidiary Pink Dust Records.

In 1991 Restless and a number of Enigma Records titles were acquired by Bill Hein and Joe Regis re-launched in Hollywood, California. In 1992, Restless acquired the Twin/Tone Records label and classic titles by such artists as The Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks and Ween. This addedto Restless' already substantial catalog of titles by They Might Be Giants, The Cramps, The Dead Milkmen, Devo, The Flaming Lips, Stiff Little Fingers, TSOL among others.

In 1993 Restless co-founded Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) with Warner Brothers Music Group (WMG) to handle its distribution and certain titles released by Warner Bros., Elektra Records, Atlantic Records, their affiliates and Sub Pop Records. Sub Pop subsequently became a partner in the venture. Within 10 years, ADA went on to become the largest distributor of independent music in America.

In 1997 Restless was acquired by Arnon Milchan's New Regency Productions, one of the entertainment industry's largest independent film production companies. Restless remained a subsidiary of New Regency until 2001, during which time, Restless released many of New Regency's soundtracks including L.A. Confidential, Fight Club and Malcolm In The Middle (the title song to which earned They Might Be Giants a Grammy in 2001).

After New Regency sold its interest back to Hein and Regis in 2001 Restless entered into a distribution deal with Ryko Distribution which led to a sale to Rykp Corp. Ryko was later acquired by Warner Music Group in 2006.

Artists

• 45 Grave
  45 Grave
  45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
  
  
• Adrenalin O.D.
  Adrenalin O.D.
  Adrenalin O.D. was a popular hardcore punk band from New Jersey that existed from 1981 to 1990. They are best known for playing extremely fast music accompanied by humorous lyrics.-History:...
  
  
• Agent Orange
  Agent Orange (band)
  Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Orange County, California in 1979. The band is one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. They first gained attention with their song "Bloodstains" which they released on their own 7" E.P. An early demo of the song was presented to...
  
  
• Aversion
• The Bags
  The Bags
  The Bags were an American rock band formed in 1977. They were one of the first generation of punk rock bands to emerge out of Los Angeles, California.-Career:...
  
   (the hard rock band of the 80's, not the punk band of the 70's)
• Band of Susans
  Band of Susans
  Band of Susans was a noise rock band formed in New York City in 1986. It originally consisted of Robert Poss , Susan Stenger , Ron Spitzer , with Susan Lyall , Susan Tallman , and Alva Rogers . However, the band would undergo several permutations over the years, usually involving guitarists...
  
  
• Butchering The Beatles
• Lori Carson
  Lori Carson
  Lori Carson is a singer/songwriter. She has released several solo albums, appeared on many soundtracks, and collaborated with artists such as The Golden Palominos. She performed lead vocals on the song "In the Middle of the Night" on French producer Hector Zazou's album Strong Currents...
  
  
• Cinderblock
• Cirith Ungol
• Danzig
  Danzig (band)
  Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
  
  
• Dead Milkmen
  Dead Milkmen
  The Dead Milkmen is an American satirical punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman , guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro , bassist Dave Schulthise and drummer Dean Sabatino .Beginning within the local underground...
  
  
• Death Angel
  Death Angel
  Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
  
  
• Devo
  Devo
  Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
  
  
• Doughboys
• Dream Syndicate
  Dream Syndicate
  The Dream Syndicate was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California active from 1981 to 1989. The band was associated with the Paisley Underground music movement.-History:...
  
  
• Econoline Crush
  Econoline Crush
  Econoline Crush is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada formed in 1992. Originally formed in Seattle, they eventually moved back to Vancouver...
  
  
• Elvis Hitler
  Elvis Hitler
  Elvis Hitler is a psychobilly/hellbilly band from Detroit, Michigan. The band was named after the moniker of their lead singer, Jim Leedy.-History:...
  
  
• The Fibonaccis
  The Fibonaccis
  The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriter John Dentino , Ron Stringer , Magie Song , Joe Berardi and later Tom Corey .-Overview:...
  
  
• The Flaming Lips
  The Flaming Lips
  The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
  
  
• Forgotten Rebels
  Forgotten Rebels
  The Forgotten Rebels are a punk rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. With roots dating back to 1977 to the present day, the Forgotten Rebels have left a discography of seven albums and a collection of EPs and singles that have influenced many other Canadian and international bands forming in...
  
  
• Get Smart!
  Get Smart! (band)
  Get Smart! was a three piece band formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose.-Career:The band formed while at University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS in 1980 and, along with bands like the Embarrassment and the Mortal Micronotz, they were prominent...
  
  
• Giant Sand
  Giant Sand
  Giant Sand is an American rock band, based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The name is shortened from the original Giant Sandworms, a reference to the creatures in the Dune books. Overseen by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, its membership has shifted over the years—at times with each album...
  
  
• Crispin Glover
  Crispin Glover
  Crispin Hellion Glover is an American film actor, director and screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Glover is known for portraying eccentric people on screen such as George McFly in Back to the Future, Layne in River's Edge, unfriendly recluse Rubin Farr in Rubin and Ed, the...
  
  
• The Golden Palominos
  The Golden Palominos
  The Golden Palominos was an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership was wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album.While the Palominos' records...
  
  
• Green on Red
  Green on Red
  Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground...
  
  
• Hellion
  Hellion (band)
  Hellion is a heavy metal band, which was formed during 1982 in Los Angeles, California. The first line-up included Ann Boleyn , Ray Schenck , Sean Kelley and Peyton Tuthill . With a different line-up they continue on today....
  
  
• Indestroy
• Ironchrist
• Jailhouse
  Amir Derakh
  Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
  
  
• The Johnsons
  The Johnsons
  The Johnsons or De Johnsons is a 1992 Dutch horror film thriller directed by Rudolf van den Berg. It also known under the title De Blaauw Sens Johnand Xianjing. The film was nominated for a Fantasy Film Award at the film festival in Oporto...
  
  
• Little Caesar
  Little Caesar (band)
  -History:The band was founded late in the 1980s by Ron Young, who had previously worked as a nightclub bouncer. The group independently released an EP which led to their signing with DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, in 1989. John Kalodner did A&R work for the group, and Bob Rock...
  
  
• Mazzy Star
  Mazzy Star
  Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
  
  
• Michael Sweet
  Michael Sweet
  Michael Sweet is a singer from Whittier, California, United States. Sweet is best known as co-founder, writer and frontman of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. He was also one of the two lead vocalists and one of three guitarists for Boston until August 2011.-Youth:He began his musical career...
  
  
• The Moog Cookbook
  The Moog Cookbook
  The Moog Cookbook is the name of an electronica band made up of Brian Kehew and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. as a parody/tribute to the novelty "Moog records" of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The duo performs exclusively on analog synthesizers, especially Moog synthesizers...
  
  
• MX Machine
  MX Machine
  MX Machine is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Initially active from 1985 to 1989, the band reformed in 2007 with a renewed line-up.-Biography:...
  
  
• The Neighborhoods
• Nova Mob
• Old Skull
  Old Skull
  Old Skull were an American punk rock novelty band formed in the late 1980s in Madison, Wisconsin. The band was started by ten-year-old J.P. Toulon and his nine-year-old brother, Jamie Toulon, with encouragement from their father Vern Toulon, a longtime member of the Madison punk scene who had...
  
  
• The Outlets
  The Outlets
  The Outlets were a 1980s Boston rock band, consisting of David Alex Barton on vocals, his brother Rick Barton on lead guitar, Mike White on bass and Walter Gustafson on drums.-History:...
  
  
• The Pandoras
  The Pandoras
  The Pandoras were an all-female rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California from 1983–1991, who found a following in the Hollywood "Paisley Underground" scene and later adapted a more contemporary Sunset Boulevard, hard rock look and sound. The band ended when, on August 10, 1991 band leader...
  
  
• Punchbuggy
  Punchbuggy (band)
  Punchbuggy was an alternative rock band formed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1994. The band released four full length albums. Their song "Lucky Me, Lucky You" appeared in Tom Green movie Freddy Got Fingered.-History:...
  
  
• Radar Bros.
  Radar Bros.
  The Radar Bros. are an indie rock band from Los Angeles, CA currently consisting of Jim Putnam , Be Hussey and Stevie Treichel and joined by Dan Iead , and Ethan Walter in the studio and on recent tours. The band's original members were Jim Putnam, Senon Williams and Steve Goodfriend...
  
  
• The Shivers
• Spain
  Spain (band)
  Spain are an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993, and led by Josh Haden. Originally comprising Haden, his sister Petra Haden and Evan Hartzell, their debut album The Blue Moods of Spain was released in September 1995...
  
  
• Straw Dogs
  The F.U.'s
  The F.U.'s were an early-mid 1980s Boston hardcore punk band, who later changed their name to Straw Dogs, moving toward heavy metal and reformed under their original moniker in 2010.-History:...
  
   (Formerly The F.U.'s)
• They Might Be Giants
  They Might Be Giants
  They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
  
  
• TSOL
  TSOL
  TSOL is an American punk rock band which formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name....
  
  
• The Vandals
  The Vandals
  The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
  
  
• Wall of Voodoo
  Wall of Voodoo
  Wall of Voodoo was an American New Wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.-Formation:...
  
  
• Warren G
  Warren G
  Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
  
  
• Ween
  Ween
  Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
  
  
• Wipers
  Wipers
  The Wipers were a punk rock group formed in Portland, Oregon in 1977 by guitarist Greg Sage, drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. Wipers were one of the earliest American purveyors of the genre, and the group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion has been hailed as extremely...
  
  /Greg Sage
  Greg Sage
  Greg Sage was the principal songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist for the influential Portland, Oregon-based punk rock band Wipers. Greg Sage's first recording was on the pro-wrestler Beauregarde's full length album, released in 1971 . He met Beauregarde, recorded and played with him when he was only...
  
  
• You Am I
  You Am I
  You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
  
  
• The Zeros