Give Up The Ghost was a hardcore punk band based in Boston, MA. Originally formed in 2000 by Wes Eisold and Ten Yard Fight's Tim Cossar as American Nightmare, the band was forced to change it's name after legal proceedings were threatened by a band of the same name from Philadelphia. The band briefly performed under the name American Nothing before finally deciding on the name Give Up The Ghost in 2003. Despite the name change, many fans still refer to them as American Nightmare or simply AN.

The band recorded a demo tape in 2000, followed by their debut release, a self-titled 7", on Bridge 9 Records. The band then recorded their second release 7", The Sun Isn't Getting Any Brighter, which was later combined with their self-titled release to form the Year One EP. Give Up The Ghost's debut LP, Background Music, was recorded for Equal Vision Records in 2002, and was released to much acclaim. In 2003, a second LP, We're Down Til We're Underground was released on Equal Vision Records after the band changed their name to Give Up the Ghost. We're Down Til We're Underground displayed the band experimenting with their sound, with longer songs that didn't follow the typical hardcore songwriting formula they had adhered to in their previous releases.

The band broke up in May 2004 and members went on to form Some Girls, Cloakdagger, Bars and others.