Because of some of the song lyrics, most notably on "Hands All Over" (the ""kill your mother"" line) and "Big Dumb Sex", the band faced various retail and distribution problems upon the album's release. "Louder Than Love" peaked at number 108 on the "Billboard" 200 album chart in 1990. It was the band's first album to chart on the "Billboard" Top 200. "Louder Than Love" spawned the "Loudest Love" EP and the "Louder Than Live" home video, both released in 1990.