Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that emerged in the early 1990s in Olympia, Washington, as a response to the male-dominated punk rock scene. It blends elements of feminism with punk music and political activism, acting as a precursor to third-wave feminism. Key topics addressed within riot grrrl music include female empowerment, sexuality, and issues surrounding patriarchy, racism, and classism. Founding bands such as Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy were instrumental in defining the movement, with Bikini Kill's frontwoman, Kathleen Hanna, playing a pivotal role in its inception.
The movement is also known for its zines, which served as crucial platforms for discussing taboo topics like rape and eating disorders, fostering a sense of community among women. Although it began to decline in the mid-1990s, largely due to the personal transitions of its prominent figures, riot grrrl has experienced a revival in the 21st century, attracting new generations of feminists and activists. Riot grrrl's legacy continues to resonate, inspiring ongoing conversations about gender, empowerment, and activism in contemporary culture.
Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that got its start in Olympia, Washington, in the early 1990s. Popularly viewed as a subcultural movement that meshed elements of feminism, punk music, and politics, riot grrrl is an outgrowth of punk rock that is said to be one of the primary forerunners of third-wave feminism. The music produced by riot grrrl artists is strongly feminist and often touches on topics like female empowerment, sexuality, rape, racism, anarchism, classism, and patriarchy. Some of the founding groups of the original riot grrrl movement included Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy, Excuse 17, Huggy Bear, Skinned Teen, Emily's Sassy Lime, and Sleater-Kinney. Beyond the music it inspired, the riot grrrl movement also spawned a broader subculture known for its zines, art, political engagement, and activism. Although the original movement essentially fizzled out in the later 1990s, riot grrrl has enjoyed a twenty-first century revival among modern feminists and other activists.
Background
The riot grrrl movement first began as a musical phenomenon that was an offshoot of the punk rock genre. The history of that genre dates back to the 1960s, when the term “punk rock” was first used to describe the era’s emergent garage bands. Lacking any sort of formal training and often possessing little in the way of legitimate musical skill, these bands had a raw, unpolished sound that stood in stark contrast to mainstream rock music. Early punk bands like the Stooges and MC5 won over fans with their crude, frequently political songs and wild concerts. The American punk rock scene kicked into high gear in New York in the 1970s. It was there that bands like the Ramones, Blondie, and the Talking Heads grew popular while playing gigs at famous Bowery District venues like CBGB. At around the same time, another punk rock scene began to take hold in the economically depressed United Kingdom. Angry, disaffected English youths found common ground in punk rock and quickly came to embrace bands like the Sex Pistols. One particular group of British punk rockers and Sex Pistols fans known as the Bromley Contingent subsequently went on to form popular punk bands like The Clash, The Slits, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The early punk rock scene reached its zenith in the late 1970s. Although punk remained popular through the 1980s, the influx of new wave and postpunk bands during that decade saw the genre enter something of a decline. Nevertheless, new acts like the Offspring and NOFX kept punk alive and thriving. The genre underwent a revival of sorts starting with the 1989 arrival of Green Day, a band set the stage for a new generation of pop punk that took off in a big way in the early 1990s. Still, punk rock faced some serious challenges. One of its most pressing problems was that the genre was increasingly developing a reputation for being male-dominated. Women seemingly had no place in punk rock except as the girlfriends of the genre’s male stars. The need for a more feminist version of punk rock led directly to the emergence of the riot grrrl movement.
Overview
The road to the riot grrrl movement began in 1989 when feminist writer and spoken-word artist Kathleen Hanna traveled to Seattle from Olympia, Washington, to take part in a workshop hosted by writer Kathy Acker. During the course of the workshop, the two had a conversation in which Acker suggested that Hanna might find more success in spreading her message if she tried starting a band. With Acker’s advice in hand, Hanna subsequently returned to Olympia and started putting together a feminist punk band. Her first recruit was Tobi Vail, a drummer who was one of the main forces behind a feminist zine known as Jigsaw. Hanna and Vail developed an idea for an accessible feminist movement they first called Revolution Girl Style Now. They also founded punk band they dubbed Bikini Kill. Joined by bassist Kathi Wilcox and guitarist Billy Karren, Hanna and Vail took Bikini Kill on the road to Washington, D.C.
As Bikini Kill took off, the act quickly inspired other young women interested in feminism and punk rock. Among these early followers were Molly Neuman and Allison Wolfe, a pair of University of Oregon students who were inspired to start a zine called Girl Germs and a band they named Bratmobile. Bratmobile soon became another of the most popular acts in the growing feminist punk scene and coined the term “girl riot” to describe the movement surrounding it. Shortly thereafter, musician and artist Jen Smith tweaked “girl riot” into “riot grrrl,” replacing the passive association of “girl” with the more aggressive and assertive tone of “grrrl.” With this, the riot grrrl movement was officially born.
Although it was only one element of the broader movement, music was always key to the foundation of riot grrrl. Bikini Kill, known for biting songs like “Double Dare Ya” and “Feels Blind,” were at the forefront of riot grrrl in its early days. Bratmobile made waves with tracks such as “Cool Schmool” and “Queenie.” A little later in the movement’s original run, Sleater-Kinney pumped out popular riot grrrl songs like “Anonymous” and “I’m Not Waiting.”
The riot grrrl movement was never solely about music, however. Beyond its artistic components, the movement was about promoting feminist ideals and fighting back against the patriarchy. Much of the riot grrrl movement’s ideology was disseminated through homemade publications with limited circulation known as zines. These zines served a forum for the discussion of important issues like rape and eating disorders that were considered too taboo to be touched on in mainstream media. Zines also gave their female readers a way to connect with each other and form a community. Along with the associate music, zines helped the riot grrrl movement to grow and expand around the world.
After just a few short years, the riot grrrl movement began to lose steam. By the mid-1990s, many of the young women who were part of the original movement graduated from college and began moving on with their lives. As a result, the riot grrrl movement quickly lost momentum. In addition, Bikini Kill played their final show in 1997. With that, the riot grrrl movement all but disappeared. Still, the spirit of the movement was not lost forever. A revival of sorts began to take hold in the late 2010s, with a number of new riot grrrl chapters being formed around the world.
Bibliography
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