Nerf Herder is a punk rock band formed in 1994. They describe themselves as a "nerd rock" band. They take their name from an obscure Star Wars reference—a "nerf herder" is a fictional occupation referred to by Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, when she insults Han Solo for arrogantly asserting that she has romantic feelings for him: "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!"
The band first got national airplay for their song "Van Halen," a parody tribute to the band of the same name.
Perhaps their best-known piece is the theme tune for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though anyone who was a child in the nineties probably knows at least part of their extensive library of Power Rangers songs, including most of the series' theme songs. The song "Chewbacca (What a Wookie)" has often been incorrectly credited to Nerf Herder (it was actually performed by Supernova on the Clerks. soundtrack).
They also have some hits in the songs "Pervert," "Courtney Love," and "5000 ways to die."