Mr. Bungle is an art-house band who fuse elements of metal, ska, free-form jazz, pop and many other musical styles, often within the confines of a single track. Their music sounds playful and innovative to some and masturbatory and tiresome to others, and they have never found widespread commercial success, despite being fronted by former Faith No More singer Mike Patton. Indeed, they are reportedly only able to maintain their high production values because of guitarist Trey Spruance's considerable inherited wealth.

Mr. Bungle have released three albums to date. Their self-titled debut, recorded before Patton was recruited into Faith No More, is markedly less sophisticated than later efforts. The musicianship is excellent but the content is decidedly adolescent and scatological, with song titles such as 'The Girls of Porn' and 'My Ass is On Fire.' Disco Volante, recorded some years later, is a huge, sprawling disc, which too often veers towards self-indulgence. It nevertheless includes a handful of memorable cuts, notably 'Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz' and 'Merry Go Bye-Bye', the latter of which switches between Beach Boys pastiche and furious death metal. The band's third album, California, is their most concise and arguably best to date. It is certainly their most accessible, with tracks such as 'Sweet Charity', 'Retrovertigo' and 'Pink Cigarette' sounding suspiciously like honest-to-god songs.

Mr. Bungle currently have no plans to tour or return to the studio.