L.A. Guns was formed by Tracii in 1983 initially with singer Michael Jagosz, Bassist Ole Beich, and Drummer Rob Gardner. This lineup recorded the EP Collector's Edition No. 1 which would be the only release from the band with its current lineup and would be re–released as a bonus disc with compilation album Hollywood Raw. Following Jagosz' subsequent exit from the band, Axl Rose joined as lead singer. However, Rose soon left to form the band Hollywood Rose with childhood friend Izzy Stradlin and Guitarist Chris Weber. Within a year, Tracii himself would join Hollywood Rose, taking Bleich and Gardner with him, leading to the formation of Guns N' Roses and effectively (and as it would turn out, temporarily) putting an end to L.A. Guns.

In 1985 Tracii and Axl Rose decided to merge their groups L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose to form a new group. Rose named the band Guns N' Roses, combining the two names of the bands. The lineup featured Axl Rose on vocals, Tracii on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Ole Beich on bass and Rob Gardner on drums. Tracii had been trying to recruit Rose and Stradlin into a group before. However, Tracii, as well as the other former L.A. Guns members Ole Beich and Rob Gardner, departed the group and were replaced by Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler.

Singer Paul Black reformed L.A. Guns, recruiting former Dogs D'Amour singer Robert Stoddard to be the new Guitarist with the group, which was rounded out by Nickey "Beat" Alexander on drums and Mick Cripps on bass. Tracii (re)joined the group a short time later. The group's lineup would change with Black being replaced by Girl frontman Phil Lewis, Bassist Cripps switching to guitar, replacing Stoddard, and former Faster Pussycat Bassist Kelly Nickels joining the group. L.A. Guns recorded their eponymous first album that was released in 1988 on Vertigo Records, charting at number 50 on the Billboard 200. On the first album's supporting tour, Alexander was replaced by former W.A.S.P. Drummer Steve Riley with the lineup being regarded as the Classic lineup of L.A. Guns. This lineup remained until 1992. In 1989, they released their second album Cocked & Loaded, which charted higher on the Billboard 200 at number 38. During 1991, the band released their third album Hollywood Vampires on Polydor Records. In 1995 they released their fourth album Vicious Circle, Drummer Michael "Bones" Gershima played on parts of this recording as this was around the time Phil Lewis fired Drummer Steve Riley in January 1992 after touring with Skid Row in support of Hollywood Vampires. Riley later returned to the band for the successful Vicious Circle club tour. After this, the L.A. Guns were dropped from Polygram (Vertigo/Polydor) Records. Phil Lewis and Mick Cripps then left the band.

Contraband was a short-lived supergroup/side project that included vocalist Richard Black, of Shark Island, Guitarist Michael Schenker, of Scorpions, UFO and Michael Schenker Group, Bassist Share Pedersen, of Vixen, Drummer Bobby Blotzer, of Ratt, and Tracii taking up the second guitar role. They released one self-titled album in 1991 which received lukewarm reviews. The album was a commercial failure and the band disbanded shortly after, while touring with Ratt.

July 1995 saw Tracii and Steve Riley recruit vocalist Chris Van Dahl and Guitarist Johnny Crypt (ex-Ripper, aka Johnny Crystal) after seeing them perform with their band Boneyard. Six months into recording sessions, Kelly Nickels left the band and Johnny switched to the bass. In 1996, the new L.A. Guns released their fifth record, titled American Hardcore. They toured throughout 1996 and into 1997 where Tracii let Chris go and was replaced by singer Ralph Saenz. Tracii, Steve, Johnny, and Ralph toured for the remainder of '97 and in early '98 released the six song EP Wasted. Halfway through the band's 1998 Rock Never Stops tour, Ralph quit to form his own band, leaving Tracii to do another singer change. Joe Lesté from Bang Tango and Jizzy Pearl from Love/Hate were considered as candidates. Lesté would last a week. Tracii and Steve picked Jizzy and quickly geared up to tour. L.A. Guns toured clubs with Jizzy in late 1998 and early 1999 when they released Shrinking Violet, produced by former Guns N' Roses Guitarist Gilby Clarke. This release was followed shortly by Crypt's departure.

In 1999, Tracii played a show in Hollywood, California with former Guns N' Roses Guitarist Gilby Clarke, who produced the L.A. Guns album Shrinking Violet in the same year, as part of his solo band with the performance being released the same year as 99 Live. In 2002, Tracii contributed guitars on the Clarke's solo album Swag, with some of these tracks appearing on the 2007 compilation album Gilby Clarke. Also in 1999, Tracii released his debut album Killing Machine, which was later re-released in 2004 with the new title of All Eyes are Watchin'.

Tracii was also in Poison for a short time in early 2000, when C.C. Deville departed the band for a month over a dispute over his new band opening for Poison that summer. Tracii joined Quiet Riot in December 2005, a move that was to be short lived after he parted ways less than a month later.

In 2004, Tracii featured on the album The Roots of Guns N' Roses, the album featuring the original demos by Hollywood Rose, on tracks remixed by Gilby Clarke.

In the fall of 2005, Tracii was planning on collaborating with Adler's Appetite in a project titled "Guns N' Roses Revisited", with a tour of Asia planned. However, it never happened due to Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose threatening to file legal action.

In 2007, Tracii guested on the debut album Dopesnake by Hollywood Roses along with Mick Taylor formerly of The Rolling Stones, Phil Lewis and Paul Black both also of L.A. Guns, Gilby Clarke formerly of Guns N' Roses and Rock Star Supernova, Fred Coury of Cinderella and formerly of London, Teddy Andreadis, Pat Travers and Hollywood Rose founder Chris Weber.

It was announced in October 2008, that Steven Adler had formed a new supergroup with Tracii called Guns of Destruction. The band's lineup rounded up by Adler's Appetite and Enuff Z'nuff Bassist Chip Z'nuff and singer Eric Dover of Sextus and formerly of Jellyfish and Slash's Snakepit. They were to make their live debut at the Key Club in Hollywood on November, 19 with "very special guests" in attendance. However the group was to be short lived and Dover soon announced that he was not involved in the project.

After performing together at the "Giving 2010" benefit event on May 3, 2010, Guns formed the cover band "Carnival of Dogs" with Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, formerly of Guns N' Roses and The Cult), Franky Perez (Solo, Scars on Broadway, DKFXP, Apocalyptica) and Phil Soussan (formerly of Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol and Vince Neil).

In 2012, Guns worked with Italian Producer Pietro Foresti on the song "America Dreaming" with Italian band J27.

In 2013, Guns joined the band of the production "Raiding The Rock Vault" at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

In 2014 Guns formed the Devil City Angels, featuring Brandon Gibbs (Cheap Thrills) vocals, Ricki Rocket (Poison) drums & Eric Brittingham (Cinderella) Bass. The self-titled debut album was officially released September 11, 2015.

In the summer of 2016, Guns teamed up with Phil Lewis for the first time in 14 years for a handful of shows under the name "L.A. Guns' Phil Lewis + Tracii Guns". Under the "L.A. Guns" name, Guns and Lewis plan to record a new album together.