All of the band members adopted ending with the surname "Ramone", although none of them were related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the music festival, the band played a farewell concert and disbanded. Little more than eight years after the breakup, all three of the band's founding members—lead singer , guitarist , and bassist —were dead.

Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold was the compilation album . However, recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now cited in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and 's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by magazine, trailing only . On March 18, 2002, the Ramones—including the three founders and drummers and —were inducted into the . In 2011, the group was awarded a .

Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the American band . It was released on March 23, 1989 through . It is the last release to feature bass player , the first release to feature since his departure after , and the last studio album on .

About the making of the album, Dee Dee wrote in his autobiography, Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones: