Harvey Danger was an American alternative rock band. It was formed in 1992 in Seattle, Washington, by Aaron Huffman and Jeff J. Lin, who were both journalism students at the University of Washington. Drummer Evan Sult and singer Sean Nelson were brought into the band in 1993, solidifying the band's lineup for the remainder of their initial existence.

After performing a variety of shows in the local area and recording a number of demos with producer John Goodmanson, Harvey Danger released their debut album, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (1997) through the Arena Rock Recording Company. Although the album was not a success initially, its second track, "Flagpole Sitta", began receiving nationwide radio airplay and, soon after, the band signed with Slash Records, a subsidiary of the major label London Recordings. Slash/London reissued Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? and "Flagpole Sitta" as a single in April 1998 to widespread commercial success, with the album eventually becoming certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999. However, the band grew increasingly uncomfortable with their association with "Flagpole Sitta" and their perceived status as a one-hit wonder, and sought to distance themselves from the song and their early lo-fi sound with their subsequent musical output.

Following a series of corporate restructurings that saw the band change record labels, Harvey Danger issued their second studio album, King James Version (2000), which showed the band moving in a more artistic direction influenced by the works of Radiohead and Frederic Tuten. Although its sole single "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo" became a minor hit, the album performed very poorly commercially, and its failure led to the band breaking up in April 2001. It has since attracted a cult following.

Nelson, Huffman and Lin reformed Harvey Danger in April 2004, with Michael Welke replacing Sult on drums. In 2005, the band issued their third and final album, Little by Little..., which featured a more piano-driven sound. The band's decision to release the album as a free BitTorrent/download through their website attracted significant attention and helped renew the band's popularity. On May 28, 2009, Harvey Danger announced that they had amicably decided to disband, and the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle on August 29, 2009.

Harvey Danger began in 1992 with University of Washington classmates Jeff Lin and Aaron Huffman deciding "it might be fun to start a band." Huffman and Lin, who were both student journalists on the staff of The Daily of the University of Washington student newspaper, took the name "Harvey Danger" from a phrase graffitied onto the wall of the newspaper's office. Lin and Huffman played house parties and bars as a duo under the Harvey Danger name until 1993, when they invited Evan Sult to be their drummer. Despite his complete lack of drumming experience, Sult agreed, bringing along his own similarly inexperienced classmate Sean Nelson. Nelson was also a colleague of Lin and Huffman at The Daily's arts and entertainment section The Glass Onion.

The foursome played their first show on April 21, 1994, at the now-defunct Lake Union Pub; Sult and Nelson, both under 21, were only permitted entry during the set. That summer, the band moved into Nelson's student house together and began holding band practices in the basement. ^{[citation needed]} More shows at the Lake Union Pub and other low-rent Seattle clubs followed, leading to exposure in The Seattle Times.

As the band began playing more shows at increasingly reputable venues, their songwriting gained momentum. In 1994, the band produced a six-song demo tape, sold at shows for $3.

When three-quarters of the group became unemployed in 1996, they decided to devote yet more attention to the band, moving to another house and renting a rehearsal space. Their shows continued to improve, and the band became regular weekend performers at the Crocodile Cafe.