White Trash first played together at a bar mitzvah in 1984 doing Judas Priest covers. By 1988. they were known around New York City as an amazing live band from Queens lead by their frontman, Dave Alvin, who would smash TV's, throw money into the crowd, hand out White Castle hamburgers and destroy innocent stuffed animals. The band was constantly evolving, moving from straight up hard rock to progressive funk. As the band evolved musically they tried adding other musicians to the live performances, starting with backup singers (The Love Dogs) and finally leading to a horn section. The sound was totally unique and they soon found success with The Bad Ass Brass (Chris Arbisi, Terry Thomas & Brendan Stiles) backing them up. They were signed to Elektra Records in 1990 and released their self-titled debut album in 1991. It was produced by George Drakoulias (The Black Crowes) & engineered by Brendan O'Brien  (Pearl Jam).

The album was an immediate hit, fueled by the video for "Apple Pie," which was in heavy rotation on MTV's Buzz Bin. The song reached #39 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, while the album charted at #122 on The Billboard 200. Unfortunately, the original band decided to split up because of musical differences just as everything was starting to explode. While the band was on hiatus, the other single from their album, "The Crawl", was used as the theme song for MTV's The Jon Stewart Show and was also a mainstay as a single on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.

Dave Alvin continued White Trash with an entirely new lineup in 1992. Craig LeBlang took over guitar duties, Eric Brodin handled the bass, & Dave Barckow sat behind the drum kit. They released Si O Si, Que? in 1993 produced by Daniel Ray (White Zombie) and engineered by Mark Dearnly (AC/DC) and Bryce Goggins (Spacehog). Two singles were released from the album ("Minor Happiness" & "Pig") with a video for "Minor Happiness" as well. 

The original band reformed in 2007 and because of the attention this reunion attracted, they released a new album, 3D Monkeys in Space shortly thereafter. The band has kept working since then with an ever evolving lineup and released a fourth studio album (Suburban Purgatory) in 2015. Several new projects are in the works and a collection of lost tracks will be released in 2023