History YMMV / Gorillaz

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: AnimationAgeGhetto seems to have worked on them some, as parents have mistakenly brought their kids to live concerts. It's an animated band with and ridiculously catchy music... that features a character like [[AntiRoleModel Murdoc Niccals]]. Many of their songs and videos have prominent adult imagery and themes: "5/4" is all about how someone was DrivenToSuicide, the music video of "Stylo" features a shooting scene and the Boogieman, "On Melancholy Hill"'s video has a GoryDiscretionShot and Cyborg Noodle throwing up an ''octopus'', and "Feel Good Inc."'s video has Murdoc's "bass-shagging action", with the tower it's set in giving off a general feel of a nightclub or a brothel. While most of the lyrics are pretty ambiguous, they can be highly suggestive with moments of profanity, and it's not rare to see Murdoc with emptied tequila bottles, 2D with switchblade knives and cigarettes, and dead animals. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lWKt4vxOdg One early, unreleased music video]] for "5/4" would have started off with a view of a girl masturbating, and treated the viewer to a naked Murdoc with a very much visible penis. Their first self-titled album and ''Humanz'' even have [[ContentWarning Parental Advisory stickers]] on them.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: AnimationAgeGhetto seems to have worked on them some, as parents have mistakenly brought their kids to live concerts. It's an animated band with and ridiculously catchy music... that features a character like [[AntiRoleModel Murdoc Niccals]]. Many of their songs and videos have prominent adult imagery and themes: "5/4" is all about how someone was DrivenToSuicide, the music video of "Stylo" features a shooting scene and the Boogieman, "On Melancholy Hill"'s video has a GoryDiscretionShot and Cyborg Noodle throwing up an ''octopus'', and "Feel Good Inc."'s video has Murdoc's "bass-shagging action", with the tower it's set in giving off a general feel of a nightclub or a brothel. While most of the lyrics are pretty ambiguous, they can be highly suggestive with moments of profanity, and it's not rare to see Murdoc with emptied tequila bottles, 2D with switchblade knives and cigarettes, and dead animals. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lWKt4vxOdg One early, unreleased music video]] for "5/4" would have started off with a view of a girl masturbating, and the video treats the viewer to a naked Murdoc with a very much visible penis. Their first self-titled album and ''Humanz'' even have [[ContentWarning Parental Advisory stickers]] on them.

** Phase 4 made its first musical step with "Hallelujah Money," which many fans were [[BrokenBase very wary about to say the least,]] [[TaintedByThePreview bringing up dread that maybe after 6 years, Gorillaz have lost their touch.]] A few months later however, they announced the next album, ''Humanz'' and its ''20-track playlist'', and simultaneously released ''4 new tracks''[[note]]"Saturnz Barz," "We Got the Power," "Ascension," and "Andromeda"[[/note]] and a much more recognizable but still gorgeous ''360'' music video for "Saturnz Barz," all of which were very well-received by the fanbase.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: AnimationAgeGhetto seems to have worked on them some, as parents have mistakenly brought their kids to live concerts. It's an animated band with and ridiculously catchy music... that features a character like [[AntiRoleModel Murdoc Niccals]]. Many of their songs and videos have prominent adult imagery and themes: "5/4" is all about how someone was DrivenToSuicide, the "Stylo" video features a shooting scene and the Boogieman, "On Melancholy Hill" has a discretion gore shot and Cyborg Noodle throwing up an ''octopus'', "Feel Good Inc." has Murdoc's "bass-shagging action" and the tower gives off a general feel of a nightclub or a brothel. While most of the lyrics are pretty ambiguous, they can be highly suggestive with moments of profanity, and it's not rare to see Murdoc with emptied tequila bottles, 2D switchblade knives and cigarettes, and dead animals. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lWKt4vxOdg One early, unreleased music video]] for "5/4" would have started off with a view of a girl masturbating, and the video treats the viewer to a naked Murdoc with a very much visible penis. Their first self-titled album and ''Humanz'' even have [[ContentWarning Parental Advisory stickers]] on them.

** Phase 4 made its first musical step with "Hallelujah Money," which many fans were [[BrokenBase very wary about to say the least,]] [[TaintedByThePreview bringing up dread that maybe after 6 years, Gorillaz have lost their touch.]] A few months later however, they finally revealed the next album, ''Humanz'' and its ''20-track playlist'', simultaneously released ''4 new tracks''[[note]]"Saturnz Barz," "We Got the Power," "Ascension," and "Andromeda"[[/note]], and a much more recognizable but still gorgeous ''360'' music video for "Saturnz Barz," all of which were very well-received by the fanbase.
** After ''Humanz'' [[BrokenBase polarized fans and critics alike]] -- one of its bigger criticisms being how it was less about the band itself and more like Damon Albarn just collaborating with whichever artists he could find -- "Sleeping Powder" and ''The Now Now'' were made specifically in response to it, containing almost no features and centralizing directly on 2D and his character, seen by many as a necessary, confidence-regaining bounceback for the band.
** ''Song Machine'' continued the band's creative momentum, returning to their collaboration-heavy style, but handled in a way fans and critics alike consider much more balanced and a return to their pre-''Humanz'' form. Along with the format shift from traditional album release cycles to a periodically-updating web series of full music videos, they've also shown they still have plenty of innovation in them as well.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 original PPG series]] who got into Gorillaz thanks to his incorporation). Then there are those who feel Ace was used better here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 series]] of [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls his home franchise]] (which was airing at the time of ''The Now Now''), where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang were pretty much shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

** At the beginning of the video for "Strobelite," a random [[TakeThat stereotypical Trap musician]] gets punched in the face; while [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments funny]], it really has nothing to do with the rest of the video. Evidently, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Russel was supposed to be the puncher]], but the subplot was cut from the final product.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 original PPG series]] who got into Gorillaz thanks to his incorporation). Then there are those who feel Ace was used better here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 series]] of [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls his home franchise]], where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang were pretty much shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

** Was it an interesting idea to temporarily have Murdoc arrested and replaced with a ''[[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Powerpuff Girls]]'' character? Or was it an unnecessary plot point? Keep in mind that we don't know the entire story line of the album yet and that it typically boils down to whether someone likes Murdoc or Ace more.

** Ace being bisexual is a popular thing to include in fanart and fanfiction, but there's nothing in [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGIrls his home franchise]] to confirm anything of the sort (the only person he ever showed any sort of attraction towards is Sedusa, and even that's questionable among ''PPG'' fans), and he barely interacts with the rest of the band in his time with Gorillaz for us to get an idea about it. It seems to be a rumor/headcanon that caught steam and then fans of both Gorillaz and ''PPG'' ran with it, to the point where it was even mentioned in his page in the Powerpuff Girls Wiki on Fandom.

* ToughActToFollow: ''Music/DemonDays'' is not only considered an EvenBetterSequel to [[Music/GorillazAlbum their first album]], but one of the best albums of that decade. ''Plastic Beach'' also received high acclaim, with many considering it a worthy successor in its own right. With this track record, it's perhaps not too surprising that the next two albums, ''The Fall'' and ''Humanz'', would end up getting [[SoOkayItsAverage a much more lukewarm reception]].

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 original PPG series]] who got into Gorillaz thanks to his incorporation). Then there are those who feel Ace was used better here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 series]] of [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls his home franchise]], where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang have pretty much been shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 original PPG series]] who got into Gorillaz thanks to his incorporation). Then there are those who feel Ace is being used better here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 series]] of [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls his home franchise]], where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang have pretty much been shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 original PPG series]] who got into Gorillaz thanks to him). Then there are those who feel Ace is being better-utilized here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 series]] of [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls his home franchise]], where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang have pretty much been shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: "Hallelujah Money" randomly ends with a sample of WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants sobbing. [[GeniusBonus It's a soundbite of his reaction to Mr. Krabs saying "You're fired!", which was Donald Trump's catchphrase on]] ''Series/TheApprentice''.

** In Murdoc's lair in the ''Plastic Beach'' game there are several boxes labeled "Edible panties", "Nipple tassels"... fetish fuel, maybe, if not for the ridiculous amount of flies hovering around them...

* NoYay: For a few fans, shipping any of the characters together leads to a number of problems: Murdoc seems to be incapable of having a healthy, non-abusive relationship with anyone, Noodle is over a decade younger than even the group's second-youngest member, having joined the band at the age of ''eight,'' and even now that she's older the thought of her in a romantic relationship with another band member still [[{{Squick}} squicks]] some fans out, and the only remaining possible ship, 2D and Russel, barely interact, let alone in a romantic sense. Not to mention 2-D's [[IdiotSavant highly-suspect mental capacity...]]

** Ace, to the point where some consider him an improvement from Murdoc (if only a temporary addition). It helps that he's from [[Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls a cartoon franchise that many fans of the band grew up with]].

* FanficFuel: Due to Phase 3's storyline never getting to cover what happened to the band after Noodle and Russel arrived at Plastic Beach, plenty of fanfic writers have taken it upon themselves to give it an ending.
** Ace's time as Murdoch's replacement shows him as a much more stable person compared to his teenage self. Does this mean that the rest of the Gangreen Gang have ''also'' matured in their adulthood? Or are they still trouble-making thugs?

* {{Fanon}}: Cyborg Noodle is never said to have been based on the real Noodle's appearance as a teen at any point, and is in fact shown to be nearly identical to an adult Noodle in the few pictures where they appear together. Despite this, you'd be hard-pressed to find any fanfiction that ''doesn't'' claim this to be true, simply because it avoids dealing with the FridgeLogic of how Murdoc (the Cyborg's creator) would know what Noodle would look like as an adult despite having last seen her as a young teen.
** Ace being bisexual is a popular thing to include in fanart and fanfiction, but there's nothing in the original series to confirm anything of the sort (the only person he shows any sort of attraction towards is Sedusa, and even that's questionable among GGG fans), and he barely interacts with the rest of the band in his time with Gorillaz for us to get an idea about it. It seemed to be a rumor/headcanon that caught steam and then the fandom ran with it, to the point where it was even mentioned in his entry in the Powerpuff Girls Wiki.

* {{Squick}}

* ToughActToFollow: ''Music/DemonDays'' is not only considered an EvenBetterSequel to [[Music/GorillazAlbum their first album]], but one of the best albums of that decade. ''Plastic Beach'' also received high acclaim, with many considering it a worthy successor in its own right. With this track record, it's perhaps not too surprising that ''The Fall'' and much later ''Humanz'' would end up getting [[SoOkayItsAverage a much more lukewarm reception]].

** Ace, to the point where some consider him an improvement from Murdoc (if only a temporary addition). Helps that he's from [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls a cartoon many fans of the band grew up with]].

* FriendlyFandoms: Since they share the same creators, many Gorillaz fans are also ''ComicBook/TankGirl'' and {{Music/Blur}} fans, especially in the case of the former.
** Powerpuff Girls can count as this since Ace played for the band for a little bit, and both PPG and Gorillaz were pretty popular in the early 2000's.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him (or, he's adored by enthusiastic Ace fans from the original PPG series who got into Gorillaz thanks to him). Then there are those who feel Ace is being better-utilized here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 reboot]] of his home series, where he and the rest of the Gangreen Gang have pretty much been shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

* DorkAge: [[BrokenBase While not without its fans in whole or in part]], ''Music/{{Humanz}}'' has become generally regarded by fans and critics alike to be a low point for the band. Their first album after a lengthy hiatus, the general consensus is that Damon Albarn and co lost focus on Gorillaz being not just a band, but its own universe with its own distinguished personality, with the biggest complaint being [[SpotlightStealingSquad the album's overabundance and over-reliance on features]], leading many to call ''Humanz'' more of a compilation of miscellaneous tracks loosely tied by Gorillaz-style production than a proper "Gorillaz album". Fortunately, it appears the group took the criticisms to heart and [[WinBackTheCrowd have been on a path to recovery]] from the lukewarm-to-positively-received ''Music/TheNowNow'' and the even-more positively-received ''Song Machine'' series.

* UncannyValley:
** Well, just look at the videos. [[http://beatcrave.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/gorillaz_group.jpg Or, for that matter, the stills]]. 2D is, in some of the pics, frankly terrifying.
** The cover-art for ''The Fall'' can be considered rather creepy. It features 2D sitting alone in a dark room, staring into the camera with huge white eyes and an emotionless look on his face. Looking at it too long can make you uneasy because of this.
** The video for "Stylo" has them in a live-action setting in a new CG-animated style. The first time you see them can be straight creepy.
** Say hello to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81lAa3kqgCc Cyborg Noodle]].
** [[http://hiphopdx-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2017/03/Gorillaz-Humanz-album-cover-art.jpg The cover artwork of ''Humanz'']] features realistic-looking renderings of the entire band. It's about as unsettling as you'd expect.
** Special mention goes to 2D in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzJGWAfmBco "Sleeping Powder"]]. He appears to be motion-captured, and the slightly awkward movements and surreal imagery don't help much.

* MisaimedMarketing: The 20th anniversary reissue of the band's debut album in 2021 ''really'' didn't sit well with fans [[https://www.nme.com/news/music/gorillaz-celebrate-20-years-of-their-self-titled-debut-album-2908720 due to its bundle advertising NFT art collectibles]]. Fans blasted the support of [=NFTs=] given [[https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/15/22328203/nft-cryptoart-ethereum-blockchain-climate-change the increased awareness of their negative impact on the environment]], especially hypocritical given that the band made [[Music/PlasticBeach an entire album]] [[UnderminedByReality centered around and bringing awareness toward ecological destruction]] (fortunately, the backlash was so potent that the offer was recanted, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/gorillaz/comments/nsb0gf/jamie_has_confirmed_the_nfts_arent_happening/ with Jamie Hewlett confirming]] they would not be pursued).

* FoeYay: Murdoc with both of the other male band members, particularly 2D. Murdoc has practically destroyed 2D's life, but the latter views him as a role model and looks up to him, as to an older brother, in spite of the fact that Murdoc abuses him physically and mentally. 2D has even declared at one point he loves Murdoc. Still, in Phase 3, 2D gets smarter and realizes he was actually mistaken about him, and in many of the interviews they snark back and forth at each other.

** To a lesser extent, Ace. He's loved for the most part, but some find him an unnecessary addition. Then again, it goes hand-in-hand with Murdoc's status as a Base-Breaking Character, since Ace is ''especially'' loved by fans who either feel neutral about Murdoc or outright hate him. Then there are those who feel Ace is being better-utilized here than in the base-breaking [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 2016 reboot]] of his home series, where he and the rest of the Gangreene Gang have pretty much been shunted to the background in favor of newer villains.

** Ace's time as Murdoch's replacement shows him as a much more stable person compared to his teenage self. Does this mean that the rest of the Gangrene Gang have ''also'' matured in their adulthood? Or are they still trouble-making thugs?