History YMMV / Devo

* ValuesResonance: But on the other hand, the spudboys' message of embracing "positive mutation" against the tyranny of the "normal people" sounds a lot like the modern movement for neurodiversity and disability rights: rather than ostracizing the disabled and neurodiverse, they celebrate the weird and different and hold them up as superior to the neurotypical. This was revolutionary for the time, and still rings true today. The band's use of kitschy found images also resonates with the humor of 2010s-2020 meme culture.

* ValuesResonance: But on the other hand, the spudboys' message of embracing "positive mutation" against the tyranny of the "normal people" sounds a lot like the modern movement for neurodiversity and disability rights: rather than ostracizing the disabled and neurodiverse, they celebrate the weird and different and hold them up as superior to the neurotypical. This was revolutionary for the time, and still rings true today.

** A pre-internet one: the trademark energy domes have become a symbol of 80's kitsch.

* CultClassic: It could feasibly be argued that Devo's whole body of work falls under this trope, since aside from "Whip It," they never truly became chart-topping A-listers, yet their influence in new wave and synth-pop is palpable, and a very devoted (pardon the {{Pun}}) fandom has followed the boys for many years. However, on a far more obscure level, there's ''Shout,'' the commercial failure that led to Devo being dropped from Warner Brothers. Critics raked it over the coals for being overproduced and undistinguished, and Gerald Casale is [[CreatorBacklash openly unhappy with it.]] Yet there are a small contingent of Devo fans who really like ''Shout'' specifically ''because'' of how processed and synthesized it is.

** Much like Music/TalkingHeads, of these younger fans are on the autism spectrum: Devo's message of "positive mutations" and contempt for "normal people" resonates with the autism rights/self-advocacy movement.

* AudienceAlienatingEra: The late 80s. And not just because Jerry had a [[EightiesHair mullet.]] Devo's Enigma Records albums - ''Total Devo'' and ''Smooth Noodle Maps'' - are the glossiest, most conventionally mainstream pop albums the band have ever made, and diehard Spuds tend to agree that it's to the band's detriment. Especially ''Total Devo,'' which bears the brunt of the fandom's rejection and is often considered the band's low point. These albums were commercial failures, and were borderline CanonDiscontinuity for years.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
** When they first appeared, Devo's cynicism was genuinely shocking, with the band receiving hostile reactions from the music press over it. The band's "de-evolution" stance was a TakeThat against the WideEyedIdealism of the '60s and early '70s.
** Sonically, in many ways, as NewWaveMusic, pop music and even R&B caught up with the radical-for-1977, synthesized, robotic sound of Devo, it became so commonplace by the mid-1980's that many songs from other acts of the era were mistaken for Devo songs.

* WastedSong: "Watch Us Work It" was recorded for a commercial, got great fan response, then was only a limited single and not included on "Something For Everybody" (though it was a bonus track). Many fans say it is one of their catchiest songs.

* FaceOfTheBand: It started as Jerry's band, but vocalist Mark easily became the face of Devo for many. Jerry, however, still addresses crowds most of the time during live shows.

** Since ''Music/QAreWeNotMenAWeAreDevo'' is a LongTitle, it's frequently just referred to as ''Q&A.''

* RefrainFromAssuming: Their biggest hit is just "Whip It," not "WhipItGood" in spite of the trope name.

** Music/NeilYoung was the first major artist to work with the band, having been inspired by them to write "Hey Hey My My" and even having them appear in his film ''Human Highway'' all before they even recorded their first album. All of this will have no doubt lead to Neil's fans admiring Devo as well.[[note]]Jerry, Gerard and Mark had attended Kent State in Ohio and had personally witnessed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings the Kent State shootings]] which had inspired Young's song "Ohio" (two of the victims, Jeffrey Miller and Allison Krause, were close friends of theirs) Despite strongly disliking it at first, with Jerry calling it "rich hippies capitalizing on something they don't understand," the three cited hearing a song about something they'd personally experienced as a deciding factor in getting into [[StartMyOwn starting their own band]], calling it the moment they realize that human beings were devolving. They'd eventually make peace with the song and record a cover of it.[[/note]]

** Before they signed with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords and had a hit with "Whip It" in the U.S., several of their independent singles charted in the U.K. and they were a highly anticipated band in Europe and Australia. It likely helps that these places were ahead of the U.S. in the acceptance of music video as a promotional tool in the pre-Creator/{{MTV}} days. In fact, the easiest Devo singles to find in the UK are by far those from the period of their first and second albums, whereas it is the opposite way round in the US. At the time, the UK got the exclusive b-sides, "Penetration In The Centerfold", the rerecording of "Social Fools" and "Soo Bawls". "Be Stiff" was released by Stiff Records prior to the Warner/Virgin deal and became the label's unofficial anthem.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The band probably got this back in their heyday. Imagine parents taking their families to their concerts, only to be shocked by songs such as "Speed Racer" (which has a pirate that likes to steal and kill, and the "explicit version" has the Barbie doll saying the F word) and "Planet Earth" (which mentions getting drunk in local bars).

** To put the point even further, there have been reports of Spuds, Devotees, and Beautiful Mutants taking their children to the band's concerts.
** It also doesn't help that Mark Mothersbaugh has worked on many kid-friendly works such as Yo Gabba Gabba!, and The LEGO Movie.

** Their DorkAge in the late 80s and early 90s dwindled their fanbase down to only the most hardcore, but then they reemerged in the mid-90s as a nostalgia act (mostly playing their hits from 1978-1980) to great fan response, leading to Devo becoming a reliable touring band and their influence growing ever since.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: ''Something For Everybody'' utilized AutoTune on a few tracks. Done for mocking reasons (this ''is'' Devo). Jerry joked about it in a couple interviews, claiming he wished he'd thought of it himself.

** Before they signed with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords and had a hit with "Whip It" in the U.S., several of their independent singles charted in the U.K. and they were a highly anticipated band in Europe and Australia. In fact, the easiest Devo singles to find in the UK are by far those from the period of their first and second albums, whereas it is the opposite way round in the US. At the time, the UK got the exclusive b-sides, "Penetration In The Centerfold", the rerecording of "Social Fools" and "Soo Bawls". "Be Stiff" was released by Stiff Records prior to the Warner/Virgin deal and became the label's unofficial anthem.

* Devo fans also tend to like Music/TheResidents, another avant-garde electronic band. Both acts shared management at one point.

* AcceptableTargets: As with Music/FrankZappa and Music/{{Prince}}, [[BitingTheHandHumor they didn't hide their contempt for their own label]], Creator/WarnerBrosRecords. The character of Rod Rooter was a particularly nasty caricature of the execs at the label.

* FanNickname: Spudboys.

* AwardSnub: The band has never won a Grammy and has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite multiple nominations.

* DorkAge: The late 80s. And not just because Jerry had a [[EightiesHair mullet]].

* SeasonalRot: The band's transition into quirky synth-pop that worked so well on ''Freedom Of Choice'' wound up becoming increasingly generic and straightforward within a few years, and whilst ''New Traditionalists'' and ''Oh No Its Devo'' were well received, the band went too far with 1984's ''Shout'', which was a critical and commercial failure. The failed comeback album, ''Total Devo'' only made things worse, and the band, needless to say, don't play anything from those albums anymore (nor anything from the mostly ignored ''Smooth Noodle Maps'').

** "No Place Like Home" (from ''Something for Everybody'') is easily their most poignant song.
** "Beautiful World" too.

* VindicatedByHistory: Or as synth-pop outfit The Attery Squash put it, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gShKgGs-Jbw "Devo Was Right About Everything."]][[note]]Devo themselves have remixed this song as their stamp of approval.[[/note]] It says a lot that Devo are one of the rare {{One Hit Wonder}}s to get multiple Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominations, and it's generally accepted today that the band were ahead of their time, and deserve more than to be remembered for one novelty hit.

** An overlap with Music/TalkingHeads fans also exists, given that the two bands were the biggest and most prominent members of the American side of the otherwise British-dominated PostPunk movement. Devo's sampling of [[Music/RemainInLight "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)"]] for the single version of "Disco Dancer" and Mark & Jerry's collaboration with Byrne on his solo song [[Music/{{Feelings}} "Wicked Little Doll"]] additionally factors into the overlap.