Riot Grrrl: The New Wave of Punk Feminism

The Riot Grrrl movement is back in full force. Created in the '90s, Riot Grrrl is a feminist punk movement that thrives on the anger and chaos women feel while living in a misogynistic society.

With the results of the recent election leaving many women feeling unheard or undervalued, Riot Grrrl has been making a comeback for its loud, unapologetic rage against the patriarchy.

If you have been searching for a way to get involved in this movement and the music that comes with it, read on for the history of Riot Grrrl and a curated playlist with both the original bands and new artists to keep an eye on.

First up on the list is X-Ray Spex, an English punk band formed in 1976 that predated the Riot Grrrl movement as we know it. The original movement has been heavily criticized for its lack of inclusivity of both women of color and queer artists, with many critics pointing to the erasure of X-Ray Spex and the lead singer, Poly Styrene, as a major influence on the movement as a whole.

X-Ray Spex released one album that covers topics like the punk movement in the '70s, identity, economic crisis, consumer culture, and environmental ruin. The band itself is the perfect leeway into the Riot Grrrl movement as they paved the way for later iterations of the feminist bands emerging in the punk movement.

The Riot Grrrl as we know it primarily started in 1991 in Olympia, Washington. The main faces of the movement were bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Le Tigre, and Heavens to Betsy, which are names that have now become synonymous with the movement itself.

While these artists were releasing music 30 years ago, the topics are more relevant than ever, with these bands touching on heavy topics within the feminist movement, like sexual assault, eating disorders, and sexual identity. Like many punk bands of the time, they created 'zines to correlate with the powerful messaging they were including in their music.

However, what the original Riot Grrrl movement lacked was intersectionality. It consistently ignored issues of race, class, and disability, centralizing more on white feminist issues. Individuality was the push at the time instead of advocating for collective action to incite change.

In the current age, Riot Grrrl bands have been steadily on the rise, with advocates highlighting the intersectionality required when discussing gender issues. Bands like The Linda Lindas and Big Joanie have largely propelled the Riot Grrrl movement to a new status that better encompasses the underrepresentation that the early movements largely ignored.

In the past few weeks, what has pushed Riot Grrrl over the edge into the spotlight was the emerging virality of the song “It’s Okay (To Punch Nazis)” by Cheap Perfume, a band that has been incredibly vocal about the state of American politics since 2016. Their first album, Nailed It, was released in 2016 following the first inauguration of Donald Trump.

Since then, many people have taken up the mantras of the new Riot Grrrl music and made them their own as they rage against the system. If you want to join in but don’t know where to start, we have the perfect Riot Grrrl starter playlist for you.

What’s your favorite Riot Grrrl song? Comment down below.