First meeting in the band Wild Science, guitarist Craig Pilkington, and singer Anna Burley left the band as it moved towards a hard rock sound. They teamed up as the Killjoys where their pop-folk tendencies found a suitable outlet. Releasing their first EP in 1989, Audrey (which produced the single Fall Around Me), the Killjoys then contributed a cover of the Seekers' Another You to the various artists tribute album, Used and Recovered (1990).

Their debut album, Ruby, won the 1990 Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Award for Best Independent Release and the band signed a new deal with MXL. Craigie-Smith was replaced by Daniel Palamara who was in turn replaced by Michael Hohnen before the band released a new EP, Spin, in November 1991. The Killjoys then traveled to the U.K. to record their second album, A Million Suns, with producer Craig Leon (Ramones, Pogues, Bangles), which was released in March 1993. It spawned the singles Beauty + Danger (February 1993) and I Lied (June 1993).

Dave Foley replaced Will Larsen on drums in 1993 before the band released the EP Love and Uncertainty in May 1994. Carolyn Schwerkolt left the band in 1995, Dave Nelson replaced Michael Hohnen, and Gary Aspinall (guitar, vocals) joined the group. The Killjoys contributed a cover of Cold Chisel's Flame Trees to the various artists' compilation Earth Music in June 1994, and the CD single Come Around followed in October 1995. Another CD single, Stupid Waste, was released in March 1996, followed by their next single, Save Me, in November 1997. Another album, Sun Bright Deep, appeared in March 1998 and contained the singles Save Me (re-released) and The Better It Gets (September 1998). ~ Brendan Swift, Rovi