US avant-garde group based in San Francisco.

The official inception of the Residents was the release of Meet The Residents in 1974, but members of the group had worked together since 1969 or perhaps earlier. The band is known for its wide range of named guest stars and collaborators, its multitude of concept albums, its ambitious multimedia, audiovisual, and stage projects, its highly reclusive nature (with all its public relations handled by The Cryptic Corporation), and the mystery surrounding much of its activities, from its history since 1972 to the identities of its members.

The band has consistently related that it took its name from a rejection letter that it had received from Warner Bros. Records. They sent the label an anonymous demo tape, the letter thus simply addressed them as Residents.