Sleater-Kinney
Personal Best
The Real Janelle
L7

Pop/Rock » Alternative/Indie Rock » Riot Grrrl

Riot grrrl is a raw, incendiary brand of feminist punk that emerged from the early-'90s indie-rock scene and sparked a subculture that lasted well after the initial movement began to fade. Riot grrrl was a blend of personal catharsis and political activism, though most of the attention it drew was due to the latter. Many (but not all) riot grrrl lyrics addressed gender-related issues -- rape, domestic abuse, sexuality (including lesbianism), male dominance of the social hierarchy, female empowerment -- from a radical, militant point of view. The similarly confrontational music favored raging, willfully amateurish blasts of noise, with only a rudimentary sense of melody or instrumental technique. Riot grrrl's abrasiveness served several purposes: it ensured that the anti-corporate music would never achieve alternative rock's crossover success (the label that released the highest percentage of riot grrrl records was called Kill Rock Stars); it defied stereotypes of women (and female musicians) as meek, overly sensitive, and lovelorn; and it found a powerful expressive tool in noise. To most riot grrrl bands, the simple act of picking up a guitar and bashing out a screeching racket was not only fun, but an act of liberation. To outsiders, the musical merits of riot grrrl could be highly variable, but to fans, what the movement represented was arguably even more important than the music. The riot grrrl movement was mostly centered in the Seattle/Olympia, Washington area; several exceptions included England's Huggy Bear, as well as several grungier groups like Babes in Toyland and L7, who fit the spirit of the style but were more tangentially related to its ideology. It was mostly rooted in punk's DIY ethos and tradition of protest, but in terms of direct inspirations, Joan Jett was lionized in many quarters of the movement for her simple, punky hard rock, confident sexuality, and independent business sense. Riot grrrl's emergence coincided with an explosion of female talent in other wings of alternative rock, and the term was frequently misapplied in media accounts of the phenomenon, which incorrectly labeled more accessible alt-rockers like Hole and PJ Harvey as riot grrrls. True riot grrrl bands -- Bratmobile, 7 Year Bitch, the queercore outfit Team Dresch, and the center of the riot grrrl universe, Kathleen Hanna's Bikini Kill -- never even approached popular acceptance. Since most bands weren't very prolific, the movement's initial flash of enthusiasm faded after a few years, but it continued to enjoy a lasting impact in indie culture, where the original bands helped inspire countless feminist zines and were still looked up to as icons and role models. Kathleen Hanna continued to record with several different projects, and scene veterans Sleater-Kinney became critically revered indie stars several years later, thanks to their ability to blend riot grrrl's passion and ideals with hookier songs and intricate instrumental technique.

Riot Grrrl Artists Highlights

Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney
L7
L7
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland
7 Year Bitch
7 Year Bitch
Cadallaca
Cadallaca

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Riot Grrrl Album Highlights

Personal Best
Team Dresch
Personal Best
The Real Janelle
Bratmobile
The Real Janelle
Call the Doctor
Sleater-Kinney
Call the Doctor
Bricks Are Heavy
L7
Bricks Are Heavy
Taking the Rough with the Smooch
Huggy Bear
Taking the Rough with the ...
Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
Dig Me Out

More Riot Grrrl Albums

Riot Grrrl Song Highlights

Title/Composer Performer Stream
M.I.A. 7 Year Bitch
Nothing Can Stop Me
Heavens to Betsy
Rebel Girl Bikini Kill
Feels Blind Bikini Kill
Suck My Left One Bikini Kill
Herjazz
Huggy Bear
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone Sleater-Kinney
Anonymous Sleater-Kinney
Hate the Christian Right!
Team Dresch
Saints Above Veronica Lake

More Riot Grrrl Songs

Other Styles in Alternative/Indie Rock