The Screamers were a synthpunk band which formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1975. The band emerged in Los Angeles' first wave of punk rock in the 1970s. The label "techno-punk" was applied to the band by the Los Angeles Times in 1978, and they are widely cited as the pioneers of a genre now known as "synthpunk." The Screamers were notable for their use of synthesizers in place of guitars, and for a highly developed theatrical presentation that centered around a manic lead vocalist