Is "ho"/"hoe" basically an equivalent of "whore" which differs only stylistically?

I don’t think the term has a neutral connotation:

Ho or hoe noun, (plural hos, hoes, ho's). Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

1)a sexually promiscuous woman.

2)a prostitute; whore.

3) a woman.

Etymology:

First recorded in 1965–70; dialectal or Black English pronunciation of whore

(Dictionary.com)

Green’s Dictionary of Slang has a couple of entries about the “neutral” meanings of ho:

1) woman

generic term describing any woman (ostensibly neutral, but the undertones of its ety still make it controversial).

2) girlfriend:

1997 [US] Da Bomb Summer Supplement 8: Ho [...] 2. (n.) (Offensive, derog.) Girlfriend.

Additional to user067531's excellent answer:

In English people will often use derogatory words (or variants of those words) in ways that would typically be viewed as hurtful, but given the context in which they're used they become almost an in-joke.

This is often accompanied by adding the word my in front of the word, which makes it more clear that it's a term of endearment.

Calling your girlfriend my ho is probably not something you'd say in front of her father. Nor would you introduce her to your boss as my bitch.

I don't feel comfortable reproducing the various usages here, but the n-word has similar usage among the African American community.

There have been many calls to stop these practices as they normalize the degradation of others. This is especially true of the n-word.

And, because the examples you've cited (and I've added to) are particularly identified with the African American community, their usage by a non-member will often be perceived as cultural appropriation at best, or flagrant racism at worst.

Tread lightly.