Joshua Michael Homme III, known professionally as Josh Homme, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer whose restless creativity and distinctive desert-rock sound have made him one of the most influential figures in modern rock music. Born on May 17, 1973, he is best known as the founder and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he formed in 1996 shortly after the breakup of his previous band, Kyuss.
Homme began his career as the co-founder and guitarist of Kyuss, performing with the pioneering stoner rock outfit from 1987 to 1995. Following the group's dissolution, he served as a touring guitarist for the rock band Screaming Trees from 1996 to 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his own project. That project, Queens of the Stone Age, would become the defining vehicle of his career. As the band's primary songwriter, Homme mainly sings lead vocals and plays guitar, steering the group through a celebrated discography that helped reshape the landscape of hard rock and alternative music.
In parallel with his work in Queens of the Stone Age, Homme co-founded the rock band Eagles of Death Metal in 1998, in which he plays drums. Since 1997, he has also overseen a musical improv project with other musicians, mostly drawn from the Palm Desert Scene, known as The Desert Sessions. These collaborative recordings became a breeding ground for ideas and personnel that would feed back into his main bands.
In 2009, Homme formed the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures alongside Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones, releasing their eponymous debut album later that year. The project united three generations of rock royalty and was met with widespread critical acclaim. He continued to expand his reach as a producer and collaborator, and in 2016 he produced, co-wrote, and performed on the Iggy Pop album Post Pop Depression, a partnership that earned considerable praise.
Beyond his own bands, Homme has been involved with a wide range of acts, including Royal Blood, Foo Fighters, Run the Jewels, and Arctic Monkeys. His willingness to cross genre boundaries and work with artists outside the rock sphere has cemented his reputation as a versatile and in-demand creative force. As the driving force behind Queens of the Stone Age and a prolific collaborator across multiple projects, Josh Homme remains a central and enduring figure in contemporary rock music.