With The Bends, Radiohead moved away from the grunge-influenced style of their debut album Pablo Honey (1993), incorporating cryptic lyrics, greater use of keyboards, and more abrasive guitar tracks. It produced five charting singles: "My Iron Lung" (released as an EP in 1994), "High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", and Radiohead's first top-five UK single, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)".

The Bends reached number four on the UK Albums Chart. However, it failed to build on the success of their single "Creep" outside the United Kingdom, and peaked on the United States charts at number 88. It achieved triple platinum certifications in the UK and Canada and platinum in the United States and Europe. The Bends received greater acclaim than Pablo Honey, and frequently appears on best-of lists. It was voted number 2 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000). In 2003, it was ranked number 110 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.