Queens of the Stone Age is a hard rock band from Palm Desert, California. The band is frequently labeled stoner rock, although they reject the label. QOTSA developed a style of riff-oriented, heavy music which the band's founder and mastermind Josh Homme described as 'robot rock', saying that he "wanted to create a heavy sound based on a solid jam, just pound it into your head". Since then, their sound has evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences.