Peters is credited for inventing many tricks, such as the “acid drop” into a pool/bowl, the “layback grind”, the “Indy air”, the “Sweeper”, the “backside layback grind revert”, the “fakie hang-up” (a.k.a. “Disaster”), the “invert revert”, the “fakie thruster”, and the “loop of death”, a full 360-degree rotation in a specially designed loop.[3] He also, along with Neil Blender, helped to evolve the footplant into the more dynamic fastplant.

Peters was one of the very first high profile skaters to embrace punk rock, cutting his hair short and narrowing his jeans when most skaters were still wearing 1970s fashions. As shown on an Eye on LA television segment, Duane left the punk rock movement for the softer sound of “New Romantic/White Funk” music; even forming a band by the name of Tan-Dane.

Peters was named Transworld Skateboarding’s “Legend” in 2003. He is a professional skateboarder who rides for Pocket Pistols Skates. In May 2005, Black Label Skateboards released a biographic film, entitled Who Cares: The Duane Peters Story,.[4] A second documentary, planned by havocTV, and intended to focus on the supposed path to sobriety of Peters and then-wife Corey Parks, was publicised but failed to appear.[5] In 2006, a sober Peters, had a cameo in the Joan Jett video Androgynous, directed by Morgan Higby Night.

Along with skateboarding, Peters is a well-known punk rock singer. He has formed bands such as the US Bombs, Political Crap, Die’ Hunns (also known as Duane Peters and The Hunns), Duane Peters Gunfight, and Exploding Fuckdolls. He was formerly connected with two defunct record labels: Disaster Records,[6] (owned by Patrick Boissel of Alive Records), and – later – Indian Recordings (owned by Ponk Media).

In 2000, Peters formed Duane Peters and The Hunns with Rob Milucky (previously of The Grabbers and The Pushers fame.) Within two years, the band released three full-length albums and undertook both national and European tours. At a The Damned show in 2002, Peters met future wife Corey Parks, who had just left her previous band, Nashville Pussy. Parks joined Duane Peters and the Hunns on bass guitar and soon the band changed their name to Die Hunns, recorded a fourth full-length album entitled Long Legs, Die’ Hunns, and embarked on another tour.