In 1995, Everclear released Sparkle and Fade, which, on the basis of the songs "Heroin Girl" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Santa Monica," quickly established the band as alternative-radio favorites. Alexakis, a brilliant songwriter, specializes in anti-establishment lyrics that caught the ears of many young people in their teens and 20s. He also became politically involved and served as an MTV reporter for the 1996 election.

Everclear returned in 1997 with the album So Much For The Afterglow, which dealt with the pressures of sudden rock fame. Alexakis described it as a "pop record with rock influences," more melodic than earlier efforts. Everclear toured in '97 and '98 to support the release and became immersed in controversy when a fan in Boston was allegedly injured after members of the New England Patriots football team allegedly stage-dived during the band's performance at the Paradise Theater. The fan accused Alexakis and company of asking the football players to dive from the stage and sued the band. On a more positive note, Everclear donated band items in 1997 to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to benefit ailing musicians and played two weeks of free gs at Tower Records. In May, the band will perform at the ninth annual HFStival in Washington, D.C. Alexakis is currently working on a solo album of acoustic material, inspired by solo shows he performed before the release of Afterglow, during which he previewed some of the album's songs in acoustic versions.