Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish rock band from Gothenburg, formed in 1997. They have released eleven studio albums.

Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1997 by Joakim Berggren and Martin Sandvik. Their previous band Link had been grunge-inspired but with their new band they wanted to pull more towards rock 'n' roll. They kept the drummer from Link, Mika Vaino (with the moniker DynaMike), and as lead guitarist they recruited Thomas Silver who had previously been in the band Glamoury Foxx with Jocke and had recently quit the band Green Jesus Saviours. During an early gig, Silver introduced Jocke as "Gothenburg's very own Jocke Berg", a reference to the singer of the Swedish band Kent and the moniker Stuck. Through Silver's contacts with the Gothenburg record label Gain Records they got their song "Hello/Goodbye" included on a promo compilation titled Gain Experience, which led to a record deal with the label. In early 1998, they recorded their debut album, released in Sweden on 4 October. The first pressing of 1000 copies sold very fast, and so did the second pressing. "Hello/Goodbye" was put out as the single and music video.

The band got to support Backyard Babies, Motörhead and Dio, and soon the British company Music For Nations offered the band a new worldwide record deal. By the end of 1998, drummer DynaMike decided to quit. Jocke phoned Magnus "Adde" Andreasson, who at that time was living in Los Angeles where he had been a student at Musicians Institute. Adde, who had formerly been the original drummer of Link and his own band Dorian Gray, accepted the offer and moved home to Gothenburg.

During 1999 the band's second single "Someone Special" became a hit song in Sweden and ended up on the Top 20 of national radio music charts. Instead of re-releasing their debut album with Music for Nations, as the label wanted, the band insisted on recording a new version since they wanted Adde to play on the album and they had already written new songs such as "Liberation" and "Have You Been Around". Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada became their international debut album, released in the spring of 2000. The music video for "Liberation" was nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award. The entire year was spent on tour in Sweden, Europe and Japan. The tour continued into 2001 when it also took them to Canada for a few shows.

In the winter of 2001 they released the single "Staden Göteborg" together with fellow Gothenburg band LOK. The song is an anthem to their hometown, and in February 2001 the two bands performed a joint set in Gothenburg where all members played together. On Midsummer's Eve they repeated this concept when both bands were the joint support act for AC/DC at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. A few days later, Hardcore Superstar were invited to support AC/DC a second time in Turin, where they replaced Megadeth.

In September 2001, the band released their third album, Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves). The album had a more laid back and polished feel than its action rock predecessors, and spawned two singles; "Shame" and "Mother's Love" / "Significant Other".

In the spring of 2003, they recorded their next album and during their summer tour they released the single "Honey Tongue". The album No Regrets was released on 27 August, once again with a different style from the predecessor. A second single, "Still I'm Glad", followed. For this album the Japanese version featured a completely different cover. After touring Sweden and Europe in the autumn and winter they made their first short tour of the US in March 2004, funded by the Swedish Export's Council. The day before their show at CBGB in New York they attended a cocktail party at the Swedish Consulate, where members of the band got into a fist fight with a Swedish tabloid journalist.

When the band returned from the US they decided to take a break, after several years of hard work.