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Rancid is a punk band, formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. After Operation Ivy broke up in 1989, Tim Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Matt Freeman (bassist) formed Rancid in Albany, California in 1991.

Rancid includes Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Freeman on bass and vocals, Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals and Branden Steineckert on drums. Former drummer Brett Reed left Rancid in 2006 and was replaced by Branden Steineckert, former drummer of The Used. As of 2007, Armstrong and Freeman are the only two remaining original members of Rancid , as Frederiksen did not join Rancid until 1993 when Rancid was searching for a second guitar player.

Rancid are credited, along with fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Green Day with reviving mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid 1990s.

Rancid's style often draws comparison with The Clash in their albums ...And Out Come the Wolves and Life Won't Wait, the latter of which is sometimes referred to as "Rancid's Sandinista!". This influence is further emphasized by direct homages to the seminal punk rock group in the lyrics to several of Rancid's songs, such as the title track to Indestructible.

Among mainstream audiences, Rancid is best-known for the songs "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb" from the 1995 album ...And Out Come the Wolves, as well as "Fall Back Down" from their 2003 album Indestructible.

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day joined Rancid for a brief period before Frederiksen joined. Armstrong performed at a 1993 concert and co-wrote "Radio" on Let's Go. Originally Frederiksen turned down a request to join Rancid because he was a member of the UK Subs at the time. Tim Armstrong eventually asked Billie Joe Armstrong to become a full-fledged member of Rancid , but Billie Joe opted to stick with Green Day. Frederiksen later changed his mind and left the UK Subs.

Rancid enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the 1990s, with Rancid touring constantly from 1993 through 1998. Rancid have released 6 full-length albums, along with numerous 7" vinyls and singles. Following the commercial and critical success of Let's Go, which garnered gold status in the U.S. with 500,000 copies sold, Rancid was pursued by several major labels, including Madonna's Maverick Records. Despite these offers, Rancid chose to stick with independent label Epitaph Records for their first four studio albums.

Rancid's second self-titled album was released on the Hellcat Records imprint in 2000. Rancid's 2003 album Indestructible was released by Hellcat Records, but distributed by Warner Bros. records. However, there is no evidence of a WEA (Warner Elektra Atlantic) copyright symbol on any of the artwork. Only the bar code prefix gives it away. Rancid continues to be signed worldwide to Hellcat Records.