Hometown Hero was a post-grunge band from Southern California active in the early 2000s. Founding members Aaron Bruno and Drew Stewart began playing together while attending Westlake High School, where their early project was known as the Ice Monkeys. They were greatly influenced by the success of Southern California punk bands of the early 1990s and the Grunge aesthetic popularized by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. With the later addition of bassist Todd Burns and drummer Ray Blanco the band re-christened themselves as Insurgence. As Insurgence they began playing famous California venues, including The Roxy Theatre and Whisky a Go Go.

When the band began work on their demo EP they again changed their name, this time to "Home Town Hero". In 2000 and 2001 Home Town Hero joined the Van's Warped Tour, where they attracted the attention of Madonna's Maverick Records label. The band's eponymous major label debut was heavily promoted by Warner Bros. Records, and their single "Questions" received significant airplay in major American radio markets. "Questions" was also included in the video game soundtrack for Legends of Wrestling II.