I haven't been in one, but my brother was the singer in a local DYI punk band called non-passive resistance.

They got pretty big in my city, and some of their shows pulled in 200+ people. I even got recognized by random alternative/punk/goth kids downtown who confused me for my brother (we look almost identical, apparently). They released two CDs DYI, and opened twice for the Casualties (well known punk band) at the local club.

They didn't make much money, and any they did they poured back into the band. Unfortunately for the independent music scene in my city, they played their last show about six months ago after their drummer left the band to presue another project (which failed ).