The History Of Riot Grrls

This is for the Editorial Fellowship

Humble Beginnings

The history of the Riot Grrrl movement began in the early 1990s when a group of women from Washington, D.C., and Olympia, Washington held a meeting to address sexism in the punk scene. The name "Riot Grrl" emerged to offer validation for women's experiences with a desire to focus on childhood.

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riot grrrl zine, July 1991; MoPOP Permanent Collection / Via mopop.org

Zines short for "fanzines", homemade publications with limited distribution became an important part of the punk scene to discuss taboo topics.

Bikini Kill became one of the earliest associated zines with their first issue coming out in 1991. In addition to including information on feminism, zines were also used as a forum to confront biases in the punk scene.

The Emergence of "Girl Power"

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Once the slogan "girl power" became appropriated by the Spice Girls, the Riot Grrrl movement began to die down. There was very little guidance for girls to achieve "girl power".

After the timing of the movement began to get "boring", the Riot Grrrl movement ultimately went on hiatus.

Current state of Riot Grrrl Movement

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The Riot Grrrl Movement gained widespread appeal globally with bands forming in various countries. Although the movement is not as active as it was 30 years ago, if offered women a platform to challenge societal norms regarding the female body and express themselves in ways previously unheard of.