Neurosis formed in late 1985 in Oakland, CA. The band was founded by ex-Violent Coercion members Scott Kelly (vocals, guitars) and Dave Edwardson (bass, backup vocals) along with Jason Roeder (drums) - Later joined by Steve Von Till (vocals, guitars) and Noah Landis (organs, piano, sampling) - accompanied by Josh Graham who does the visuals for their live performances, which were previously done by Adam G. Kendall.

At the time of their forming, they sought out a hardcore, raw sound - leaning on the punk side. Their first two releases were widely labeled as 'Hardcore Punk' - however, throughout the years, the band steadily progressed their sound into something that is nearly impossible to label, however, the most widely used term would be 'Sludge'. Neurosis had influenced a wide array of artists, the most notable ones including Isis, Mastodon, Gojira, Pelican and Cult of Luna. Many consider the band to be the pioneer of the 'sludge' sound. They were also one of the first bands to utilize custom-made visuals as an integral part of their emotional and energy driven live performances.

With the release of Souls at Zero, their third studio album (1992), the band started to slowly stray from the hardcore punk genre, going into more psychedelic and experimental waters while keeping the brutality and the hardcore sound that we have all learned to expect from Neurosis over the years. The album is a landmark for Neurosis, the band that pioneered the sludge sound into what it is today. It alienated most of their fanbase that enjoyed the punk sound that the band was previously exercising, but also introduced the band to a whole new crowd of people. The album was later re-released on their own record label; Neurot Recordings.

The band was signed to a number of different labels over the years, and at one point, they formed their own independent record label: Neurot Recordings which featured many critically acclaimed acts such as Isis, Red Sparrowes and Oxbow.

Neurosis members are featured in many side projects:
Red Sparrowes being the most popular one, consisted of members of Neurosis and Isis.
Tribes of Neurot is the bands alter ego, so to speak, it focuses on dark ambiental music.
Neurosis and Jarboe - A collaboration between Neurosis members and the former keyboardist/vocalist of the Swans; Jarboe.