“Miss Murder” was written by all four members of AFI for the band's 2006 album Decemberunderground. The song's unusual title began as a throwaway lyric from Davey Havok during a difficult writing process, the band repeatedly reworked the chorus before ultimately keeping the unconventional hook. For many years Havok deliberately refused to explain exactly what the song meant, allowing listeners to form their own interpretations. In September 2025, however, he finally revealed that “Miss Murder” is essentially a metaphor for suicide and existential despair.
Released in April 2006 as the lead single from Decemberunderground, “Miss Murder” became AFI's biggest commercial hit, reaching No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative Songs chart. It also peaked at No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video, directed by Marc Webb, helped cement the song's visual identity and AFI won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video in 2006.