In early 1981, some friends in the working-class borough of Vila Carolina, a punk enclave in the city of São Paulo, formed Inocentes. Three were former members of the Condutores de Cadáver ("the Corpse Transporters"): bassist Clemente, guitarist Callegari, and drummer Marcelino. Vocalist Mauricinho completed the initial lineup and the group's sound was a synthesis of the entire history of punk rock in Brazil. Several iterations later, they continued to play, with Clemente the only original member. The band had a central role in the development of punk rock in Brazil, and was also the only Brazilian rock band built around a Black musician.

In mid-1981, Inocentes played in public for the first time, at the Grito Suburbano Festival in São Paulo. A local record store released a 45 with some of the festival's bands, including Inocentes, in April 1982. With the press' growing interest in the punk movement, Clemente was contacted by a video company, who wanted to make a documentary named after one of the group's songs, "Garotos do Subúrbio."

With the inclusion of vocalist Ariel (formerly of Restos de Nada and Desequilíbrio), Inocentes were kicked out of the sophisticated Gallery nightclub and performed at the I Festival Punk de São Paulo in November 1982. With all of the festival's shows precariously recorded, this one yielded the album O Começo do Fim do Mundo, which included "Salvem El Salvador," performed by Inocentes. In March 1983, they participated in a similar event in Rio, the I Noite Punk do Rio de Janeiro, at the Circo Voador. Their first single, "Miséria e Fome" (45 rpm), arrived soon after. Two songs, "Miséria e Fome" and "Aprendi a Odiar," were included in a 1984 German compilation by Weird System, Life Is a Joke. After breaking up, Inocentes got together again with a new lineup with Clemente, Marcelino, guitarist Ronaldo Passos, and brothers Tonhão (vocals) and André Parlato (bass). Several other iterations would follow, with the band ever-present at punk events. In 1986, they recorded a mini-LP with six tracks, Pânico em São Paulo, through WEA. Their first solo LP came the next year, Adeus Carne (WEA), with a poem by Mayakowski, a crude social critic.

In 1988, their album Inocentes took a more direct rock approach, and they also recorded Estilhaços (1992), Subterrâneos (Eldorado, 1994), and Ruas (Paradoxx, 1996). ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi