He started drawing comics in 1987 and is best known for his autobiographical work, Peepshow. In addition to his cartooning career, he is known for his large collection of vintage Gasoline Alley comic strips. Matt lived (illegally) in Canada from 1988 to 2002. He currently lives in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

He is the author of the autobiographical comic Peepshow, in which he examines his inadequate social skills, his addiction to pornography and the lingering effects of his Catholic upbringing.
His work is published by Canadian publishing house Drawn and Quarterly.
Joe Matt's work on Peepshow is part of the autobiographical comics genre, kickstarted by the confessional stories of Harvey Pekar and Robert Crumb. As with these artists, Joe Matt's work frequently involves soliloquies "to camera". Peepshow is part of a self-referential universe that includes Matt's contemporaries Chester Brown and Seth, all of whom have included each other in their books and none of whom have appreciated the label.
In 2004, it was reported that HBO was developing an animated series based on "The Poor Bastard" that would be produced by Matt and David X. Cohen [1]. Joe Matt has later stated, "Yes, HBO was interested in making a series based on The Poor Bastard, but they came to their senses and changed their mind. Please feel sorry for me and buy the book when it comes back into print in January 2007."
The most recent issue of Peepshow, #14, went on sale November 1, 2006. A collection featuring Peepshow #11-14 titled SPENT was released in June 2007. Matt has stated that "I'll soon be writing / drawing about L.A. for a book that most likely will not be released as single issues, but rather a self-contained book."

He has received recognition for his work in the comics industry. For Peepshow, he has been nominated for four Harvey Awards: for Best New Talent in 1990 and for the Award for Humor in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
Also, despite his view on coloring as a task that merely "pays the bills," Matt was nominated for a 1989 Harvey Award for his coloring work on the Batman/Grendel series