Hole was an American alternative rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1989 and disbanded in 2002. The band was fronted by Courtney Love, and co-founded by Love, Eric Erlandson (lead guitar) and Lisa Roberts (bassist and Love's neighbour who dropped the project very early on).

Love has stated that she took the name for the band from "my husband's favorite drinking spot", but this claim is dubious, since she met Cobain [her husband] the year after Hole was formed. Love later said that the name came from a conversation she had with her mother.

Hole had a brief period as a three-guitar lineup, with the musician Errol Stewert, but the lineup that recorded the first album included only Love, Erlandson, bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue.

Rue was fired in 1992 and Emery left soon after, to be replaced by Leslie Hardy and Patty Schemel, respectively. Hardy left after recording just one single with the band, "Beautiful Son", and was subsequently replaced by Kristen Pfaff in 1993.

After Pfaff died of a drug overdose in 1994, Melissa Auf der Maur took her place from 1995 until the band's dissolution in 2002. When Schemel left the band in 1998, Samantha Maloney took her place as drummer. On VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Bands, Hole was number 77.