How did they start?

P.O.D stands for Payable On Death. While the exact date of formation remains unknown, friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo engaged in jam sessions without a vocalist. After his mother's fatal illness, Sonny Sandoval converted to Christianity; he joined P.O.D. in late 1991 or early 1992. Traa Daniels joined the band in 1994 when they needed a bassist for a concert, to replace former bassist Gabe Portillo, who appeared in the original demo tape of 1992.

P.O.D. signed with a relatively unknown Christian label, Rescue Records, and released albums under the label between 1994 and 1997, Snuff the Punk (1994) and Brown (1996). In 1997, they released an album of live recordings from the TomFest festival. In 1998, they signed with Atlantic Records, which brought the mass-media coverage that self-production would not bring.