Feminist Punk Music Movement

The early nineties defined a turning point, a culmination moment particularly fixed on an emerging subculture of Pacific Northwest musicians, who would later define what is now known as “indie” music. Based in Olympia, Washington, this movement developed out of a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) strategy, where artists took to repurposed materials in order to convey bold personal points.

Among these creators were the young female founders of the feminist punk rock movement, Riot Grrrl. Radical, edgy, and angry, they were driven by the feeling that feminism had become antiquated and secluded. Their women’s studies professors used language that felt arbitrary to them, and they wanted to open the feminist conversation to include their own young life experiences, all while taking over what they saw as a male-dominated rock scene.

Mostly comprised of the bands Bikini Kill,
These women rejected traditionally feminine symbols, such as high heels, lipstick, and other seemingly “girly” traits, sequestering future female generations into a proverbial quagmire of academic seclusion and name-calling. By turning to punk music, Riot Grrrl brought the feminist conversation back to its youngest women, inciting a revolution through creativity and community.

Yet, the social movement didn’t receive the cultural credibility it deserved until 19 years later, upon the 2010 release of Sara Marcus’s Riot Grrrl chronicle, Girls to the Front. Later in 2013, a documentary about the life of Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna called The Punk Singer catapulted the movement even further into the public consciousness. Heavens to Betsy’s Corin Tucker would also shed light on the movement through her role with the band Sleater-Kinney, featuring Portlandia star, Carrie