This US quintet was initially viewed as part of the "No Depression" movement of neo-country rock acts in the early 90s - one of a clutch of bands eschewing the melancholia and sentimentality associated with the genre but retaining its musical traditions. The band was formed from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, a unit with similar musical inclinations and one that also accrued significant critical respect during its lifetime. Jeff Tweedy (vocals/guitar) is the creative engine behind both bands (in Uncle Tupelo's case with Jay Farrar, who enjoyed subsequent success heading Son Volt), his songs regularly attaining a universality and intimacy that has reminded some of Sebadoh. Wilco was formed with fellow Uncle Tupelo members John Stirratt (bass), Ken Coomer (drums) and multi-instrumentalist Max Johnson. A.M. was a continuation of Uncle Tupelo's sound, but sold modestly. Johnson was replaced by the less traditional Jay Bennett for the follow-up, Being There. The band agreed to take a cut in their royalties in order to facilitate the release of this double album, and Tweedy was rewarded with further critical plaudits, including several comparing the album favourably to the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street. This time much of the material was informed by the birth of his son, Spencer Miller Tweedy. As he told Billboard magazine in 1996: "It was actually really healthy to understand what real life is about for the first time." The ever productive Tweedy also recorded two albums with Golden Smog, a side project involving, among others, members of the Jayhawks and Soul Asylum. In 1998, the whole band worked with English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg on the acclaimed Mermaid Avenue project, adding music to lyrics bequeathed by American folk legend Woody Guthrie (a second volume was released two years later). In contrast, Summer Teeth was an album swimming in the lush pop sounds of synthesizers, mellotrons and brass.

Despite the critical plaudits for their last two albums, the band left Reprise Records in August 2001 following a dispute over the projected album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The news was accompanied by the departure of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bennett. The band made the disputed material available on Tweedy's website, before signing a deal with the Warners-affiliate Nonesuch Records for the release of the album. Ironically, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot proved to be Wilco's most ecstatically praised and best selling release to date. During the same period Tweedy composed the music for the Ethan Hawke movie, Chelsea Walls and collaborated with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot mixer Jim O'Rourke and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche on the Loose Fur project.