Koe Wetzel

Blending rock and country with a grunge edge, Koe Wetzel has built a following around songs that stay deliberately rowdy. Born in Pittsburg, Texas, in 1992, he carries a name that nods to outlaw country writer David Allan Coe, and his music is often described as outlaw country or fusing country and grunge. Its influences run from country and hip-hop to Nirvana, and his lyrics frequently deal with grown-up themes and explicit language.

He grew up around touring: his mother was a country singer who took him on the road, and he first performed on stage at six. He played linebacker at Tarleton State University in Stephenville before deciding on music. After self-releasing an EP and a full-length with his band Koe Wetzel and Konvicts, he found his audience with Noise Complaint in 2016, and the band later dropped the full name. Signings followed: Red 11 Music in Austin in 2018, then Floating Leaf Entertainment in 2019. Harold Saul High, also released in 2019, charted on the Billboard 200. Sellout in 2020 marked his move to Columbia Records. In 2023 he became a partner in Koe Wetzel's Riot Room, a restaurant-bar and live venue in Fort Worth.