Rock the Block tells the story of The Cactus Club, a San Jose, California nightclub and live music venue, which opened in 1988 and closed in 2002. The club was known for fighting corrupt pay-to-play practices prevalent at the time, and fostering many local Bay Area acts, like Green Day (1994) & Smash Mouth (1995), before they were famous. The club also hosted pre-fame major touring acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers (1988) & Nirvana (1990).