Although not released as a single, "Asking for It" is one of the band's most notable songs as it charted a brief, four-week appearance on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks in the United States in February 1995, peaking at number 36.
"Asking for It" was one of the many songs written by Love and Erlandson following the release of Hole's debut studio album, Pretty on the Inside, and the subsequent departures of drummer Caroline Rue and bassist Jill Emery.
[citation needed] On October 18, halfway through the sessions, Love's husband, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, joined the band in-studio and provided backing vocals for a number of songs, including "Asking for It".
An alternate mix of the song, sourced from a radio broadcast of Hot Modern Rock Tracks in 1995, circulated amongst the general public in 1998 and features Cobain's prominent backing vocals, as well as an extended bridge and additional verses.
[4] Describing the musical style of "Asking for It", Sputnikmusic described the song as a "slower more melodic song" in contrast to the beginning of the album and "starting with some lightly strummed chords on the guitar, the drums and bass quickly join in to make a poppy yet somehow distant sound.
The song was inspired by an incident that occurred on August 16, 1991 at the Queen Margaret Union in Glasgow, Scotland, where Love stage-dived and was molested by members of the audience.
A live version of the song, performed and recorded at the 1995 Reading Festival, was released on Hole's 1997 compilation album, My Body, the Hand Grenade.