Teenage Whore

The musical composition of "Teenage Whore" follows the status quo of Pretty on the Inside, which is most often noted for its extreme abrasiveness, though it is also noted for its sophisticated use of melodic structure which is buried under arrangements. Spin addressed this, saying: "at first [the song] comes across like a ranting noisy rage, but underneath is a surprisingly lush melody." The song's main verse riff follows an E G F chord progression, with the bridge composed of a layering of diminished fifths and muted strings, evoking a "sonic uncleanliness." As with the majority of the band's songs, the lyrics to "Teenage Whore" were written by Love, and deal with a negative self image and real or imagined perception of oneself as a "whore", which is reinforced by the narrator's mother.

"Teenage Whore" was issued as a single through Hole's European label, City Slang, in September 1991 to promote Pretty on the Inside, and entered the UK Indie Chart at number 1. The song later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1994 film S. F. W

The single was available on 7" vinyl on pink, clear and transparent green vinyls, with "Drown Soda" as a b side, and on 12" vinyl and compact disc with "Drown Soda" and "Burn Black" as b sides (both of which had been recorded during alternate recording sessions, at Fun City Studio in New York City, and Radio Tokyo in Los Angeles, respectively). This marked the band's first CD release, as all of their prior singles had been released solely on vinyl. "Burn Black" had previously been issued as a b side on the band's previous single, "Dicknail", which had been released on Sub Pop Records in March 1991, when the band began recording Pretty on the Inside. On The Chart Show, the song's title was censored, with the word "whore" being replaced with dots. Comedian Jen Kirkman references the song in her book I Know What I'm Doing–and Other Lies I Tell Myself: Dispatches from a Life Under Construction (2016).