Motörhead are a British heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy (real name Ian Kilmister) after his ejection from the iconic space–rock band Hawkwind. The name was derived from a slang term for an amphetamine user.

It has been said that "Motörhead's overwhelmingly loud and fast style of heavy metal was one of the most groundbreaking styles the genre had to offer in the late '70s" and suggests that their blending of punk rock's speed and attitude with more traditional heavy metal "created speed metal and thrash metal." Whether they created these genres might be subject to debate, but Motörhead were unquestionably influential.

While the band are typically classified as heavy metal or speed metal, Kilmister, just like AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young, has refused such labels, preferring to describe Motörhead's style simply as "rock and roll." Motörhead's lyrics cover such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse, and "life on the road" (the latter is portrayed in songs like "(We Are) The Road Crew", "Iron Horse/Born to Lose", and "Keep Us on the Road").