Dinosaur Jr. was founded in 1984 and the group emerged among the most highly regarded in alternative rock. By reintroducing volume and attack in his songs, Mascis shed the strict limitations of early 1980s hardcore, becoming an influence on the burgeoning grunge movement. Mascis' body of work continues to inspire a generation of guitar players and songwriters today.

When the original line up of Mascis, Lou Barlow on bass and drummer Murph re-formed in 2005 for select live dates it was apparent that the years apart had not eroded any of their vitality. Restoring the sound established by the opening hat-trick gambit of Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me, and Bug, 2007's Beyond continued the band's march into rock greatness by making old ears smile and new ears bleed afresh. The original lineup has now released five studio albums since their reunion, most recently 2021’s “Sweep It Into Space” on Jagjaguwar Records.