Starting as a parody of the booming third-wave ska scene in Southern California (their first show, reportedly, was played with fourteen members, at least half of which were wielding horns), The Aquabats played third-wave ska with a surfy, b-movie-esque twist that set them apart from the sped-up two-tone/pop-punk mash-ups most bands of the time were playing. Over time, their sound became even more eclectic, dropping much of the surf guitar leads and ska rhythms for more varied influences, including (but not limited to) new wave a la Oingo Boingo, power pop inspired by Cheap Trick and Pixies, and lots of They Might Be Giants-esque weirdness.