Hole consists of Courtney Love (vocalist, guitarist), Eric Erlandson (guitarist), Melissa Auf (bassist), Samantha Maloney (drummer).
Hole was an indie rock band formed in 1989 and (officially) disbanded in 2002, fronted by Courtney Love and co-founded by Eric Erlandson, and featuring Patty Schemel on drums (until 1998. After Patty quit, Samantha Maloney was the drummer for Hole) and Melissa Auf der Maur on bass from 1995 until the band's disbandment in 2002; previous bassist Kristen Pfaff died of an apparent drug overdose in 1994. Also occasionally involved with Hole's songwriting and recording were Kurt Cobain (on Live Through This) and former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan (on Celebrity Skin).
After a number of releases on Sympathy for the Record Industry, Hole released their first full-length album Pretty on the Inside on Caroline Records, which received praise from underground critics. After the success of Pretty on the Inside, Hole was signed to Geffen Records to release eight albums. Hole entered the studio to record their major label debut in 1993, around the time that Nirvana released their third and final album In Utero. The resulting album, Live Through This, included the hit singles "Doll Parts", "Violet", and "Miss World". Outtakes from these recording sessions, some of which were later released on My Body, the Hand Grenade, included "20 Years in the Dakota" and the notorious song " Old Age", which was the subject of controversy over the true writer of the song; after many conflicting stories from Love, it was eventually learned that it had been written by Kurt Cobain for the Nevermind sessions in 1990 or 1991, and its lyrics later rewritten by Love. A rare recording from the Live Through This sessions surfaced in 2001 with Cobain providing backing vocals on "Ask for It". After close listening, it was confirmed that Cobain was on the original track, albeit with very quietly-mixed vocals. As many fans had previously thought a Love/Cobain duet did not exist, this was deemed a major discovery in the Nirvana fan community.