Pulp performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2024. Mariana Garcias/STAFF.

LOS ANGELES — It’s been quite a few weeks for our ’90s alt-rock icons. Within days of each other, we’ve had an Oasis reunion, an out-of-wedlock baby Grohl and footage of Perry Farrell self-destructing on stage. Gen X culture is having a moment. One of us might even be President in a few months. We’ve seen members of Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction face the consequences of giving into their impulses before, but aren’t they–and by association we–supposed to have our shit together by now? It turns out we’re older, wiser, but still a bit of a mess.

“Won’t it be strange when we’re all fully grown?”

That question, from Pulp’s 1995 banger “Disco 2000,” hangs in the air over the return of Jarvis Cocker and Pulp to American stages for the first time in a dozen years. Pulp chronicled the awkward tension between impulses and consequences with a brilliant run of albums in the mid-’90s. Cocker’s witty observations of everyday struggles packed grit, glam, glitz and self-doubt into enormous “voice of a generation”-style choruses and established the band as Britpop royalty. A string of culture-defining hit singles made them into household names and tabloid fodder in the U.K. On this side of the Atlantic, they never quite broke through on the scale of Oasis or Blur, but if you’ve ever seen an disco dance floor explode during the opening bars of “Disco 2000” or “Common People,” you get a sense of the joy this band brings to people.

Joy was on full display from the downbeat Thursday night at the Hollywood Palladium, where the band performed the first of three L.A. shows after making its San Francisco return days earlier. A moody extended intro gave way to the opening chords of “I Spy” as Cocker paced the stage with his wiry dance moves and angular poses.

Pulp performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2024.

Dressed in a black velvet suit and signature thick black frames, he still cut the shape of a charismatic aristocrat pornographer from the ’70s. A 60-year-old blur of pointy elbows and cheekbones for much of the show, Cocker still had all of his moves, all of his voice and the audience’s attention.

Pulp’s run of outsider anthems kept the energy high throughout the set. “Mis-Shapes” made an early appearance as Cocker bonded the “mistakes and misfits” both on the stage and in the audience in a rallying cry for outcasts. Crowd-pleasers like “Underwear,” “Babies” and “Do You Remember The First Time” more than made up for Pulp’s long absence from the U.S.

The septet featured longtime band members Mark Webber, Nick Banks and Candida Doyle, supplemented by several multi-instrumentalists making a massive sound. Sadly missing was Pulp’s beloved bassist, Steve Mackey, who died last year. Cocker and the band honored him with a touching tribute, dedicating “Something Changed” to his memory.

Pulp performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2024.

The dynamics of “F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.” triumphed from a brilliant live mix that showcased the transition from Cocker’s whispery spoken-word verses to the stomping shout-along chorus. Among the relentless hit parade, deeper cuts “Pink Glove” and “Weeds” made the most of their time in the spotlight.

“This Is Hardcore” was an absolute showstopper. Often described as Britpop’s “comedown” song, it was all sleazy cinematic menace as Cocker moved around under crimson lights, acting out a grim metaphor of pornography and fame. It has always been one of Pulp’s darker and more challenging songs, but it brought a welcome contrast with the more celebratory moments of the night, like the requisite set zenith, “Common People.”

Pulp performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2024.

Pulp’s signature song sounded every bit as vital 30 years later as Cocker led the crowd in a glorious singalong. Packed shoulder to shoulder, complete strangers and old friends were all smiles as the frontman sang about reckoning with a life “without meaning or control” where you “dance and drink and screw because there’s nothing else to do.” The song may have been written about a rich girl pretending to slum it as a working class student, but 30 years on those lines also serve as a reminder that despite being older and wiser, Gen X can still make a mess.

So while Jane’s Addiction and Dave Grohl pick up the pieces and the Gallagher brothers get ready to give it another go, we’ll be lucky enough to have Pulp to chronicle the next chapter. And since Pulp’s “This Is What We Do For An Encore” tour has featured several brand new songs, including delicate ballad “Farmer’s Market” that was played for the first time at the Palladium on Wednesday, signs are pointing to the band sticking around to do just that.

Follow Skott Bennett at Twitter.com/skottbennett. Follow photographer Mariana García at Instagram.com/marianagphoto.