Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They were signed to Island Records from 2001 to 2012 and have released five albums and one extended play to date. Their sixth album, Push Pull, was released on May 25, 2018. They have sold 10 million albums worldwide. The band is best known for their singles "Crawling in the Dark", "Running Away", and "The Reason".
Vocalist Doug Robb had known guitarist Dan Estrin for some time before competing against him in a high school battle of the bands competition and subsequently, they decided to form a band. They then recruited Markku Lappalainen and Chris Hesse to form Hoobastank.
In an interview, Chris Hesse explained that the band’s name originated from Robb’s mispronunciation of a German street name.