Claim: Jeff Ament has been a member of Pearl Jam since 1990.

Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle , Washington , in 1990 . Since its inception , the band 's line-up has comprised Eddie Vedder -LRB- lead vocals -RRB- , Mike McCready -LRB- lead guitar -RRB- , Stone Gossard -LRB- rhythm guitar -RRB- and Jeff Ament -LRB- bass -RRB- . The band 's fifth member is drummer Matt Cameron -LRB- also of Soundgarden -RRB- , who has been with the band since 1998 . Boom Gaspar -LRB- piano -RRB- has also been a session/touring member with the band since 2002 . Drummers Dave Krusen , Matt Chamberlain , Dave Abbruzzese and Jack Irons are former members of the band .   Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament 's previous band , Mother Love Bone , Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album , Ten , in 1991 . One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s , over the course of the band 's career , its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices , including refusing to make proper music videos or give interviews , and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster . In 2006 , Rolling Stone described the band as having `` spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame . ''   To date , the band has sold nearly 32million records in the United States and an estimated 60million worldwide . Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s , and is considered one of the most influential bands of that decade . Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to Pearl Jam as `` the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s '' . Pearl Jam were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7 , 2017 , in their first year of eligibility .