Guided By Voices was formed in 1983 in the American city of Dayton, Ohio, by mathematics professor Robert Pollard. Initially, the group worked as a hobby for Robert Pollard, who, in addition to other musicians, had the collaboration of his brother Jim Pollard. The band's first albums - released by small labels - were recorded without much technological resources, so the band has always been associated with the lo-fi style.

In 1985, guitarist Tobin Sprout and bassist Dan Toohey joined the band. The following year, Guided By Voices released the EP Forever Since Breakfast. The first album, Devil Between My Toes, came out in 1987. That year, the band also released the second, entitled Sandbox. Next came Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989) and Same Place the Fly Got Smashed (1990).

However, the group only started to gain recognition outside their city with the album Propeller (1992), released by the label Rockathon Records. The band began to gain fans on the American college rock circuit and the sympathy of names like Kim Deal (Pixies, Breeders) and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth). At that time, Mitch Mitchell (guitar) and Kevin Fennell (drums) were added to the band.

With Vampire on Titus, released in 1993 on the Scat Records label, Guided By Voices' albums began to be widely distributed, reaching a larger audience. At the end of that year, Greg Demos replaced Dan Toohey. The following year, the group released Bee Thousand, an album that was distributed by Matador Records, the label with which the band subsequently signed.

Bee Thousand received positive reviews from publications such as Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. The song "I Am a Scientist" had its video shown several times on American MTV. Alien Lanes, 1995 album, was also well received by critics and the public. Subsequently, Under the Bushes Under the Stars was released in in 1996. That year, Robert Pollard dismissed the other members of the group and, with the support of members of the band Cobra Verde, released the album Mag Earwhig! in 1997.

In 1999, Guided By Voices left Matador Records and signed with TVT Records, for which it released the albums Do the Collapse (1999) and Isolation Drills (2001). In 2002, the group returned to Matador, and released Universal Truths and Cycles (2002), Earthquake Glue (2002) and Half Smiles of the Decomposed (2004). This came out as the band's last album. Robert Pollard announced that the group would end his career after the last concert of the tour, which was held at the Metro venue in Chicago, on December 31, 2004.

However, in 2010, Guided By Voices returned with their most classic line-up (1993-1996), bringing together Pollard (vocals), Mitch Mitchell (guitar), Tobin Sprout (guitar / keyboards), Greg Demos (bass) and Kevin Fennell (drums), for a show at Matador Records' 21st birthday party. They went on tour and in 2011 a new job was announced, which came out in January 2012 under the nameLet's Go Eat the Factory. Still in 2012, the band released Class Clown Spots a UFO and The Bears for Lunch. The next year English Little League came out. In the first half of 2014, the group launched Motivational Jumpsuit and Cool Planet. A new album, Please Be Honest, came out in 2016. August by Cake, a double album, was released the following year. Still in 2017, Guided By Voices released How Do You Spell Heaven.

In March 2018, the band released Space Gun. Zeppelin Over China, an album consisting of 32 tracks, came out in February 2019. Later that year, the group released Warp And Woof and Sweating the Plague. The following year, Guided By Voices released Surrender Your Poppy Field and Mirrored Aztec and Styles We Paid For. In 2021, the group released Earth Man Blues and It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them!. Crystal Nuns Cathedral and Tremblers and Goggles by Rank arrived in 2022. In January 2023, the group released the album La La Land.

Beginning in 1996, Robert Pollard released a series of solo albums.