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Marilyn Manson is an alternative metal / alternative rock band based in Hollywood, California. Frequently termed "shock rock", the group's sound contains influences from heavy metal, industrial rock, and glam. Formed in 1989 (see 1989 in music) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, the band's uniquely theatrical performances gathered a local cult following that has, over fifteen years, developed into a worldwide fanbase.

Marilyn Manson's reputation has likewise grown, with the band now considered one of modern music's most widely-known and most controversial; this has been due, in large part, to eponymous lead singer Marilyn Manson born Brian Warner and his frequent clashes with religious and political figures. Until 1996, the name of each band member was created by combining the first name of a female pop culture icon and the last name of a mass murderer or a serial killer; the members of the band dress in outlandish makeup and costumes, and, like their major influences KISS and Alice Cooper, have engaged in sometimes shocking behavior both onstage and off; the group's lyrics are rife with anti-religious sentiment and with references to sex, drugs, and violence. Marilyn Manson's music and performances have frequently been called offensive and obscene, and, more than a few times, protests and petitions have led to the group's being banned from performing.

As this controversy began to wane, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, its many devoted fans have made Marilyn Manson a consistently high-profile group: three of the band's albums have been awarded platinum certification and three have been awarded gold, and the band has seen three of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. In June of 2003, MTV referred to Marilyn Manson as "the only true artist today"