Riot grrrl

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia,[1] Washington[2] and the greater Pacific Northwest[3] and has expanded to at least 26 other countries.[4] A subcultural movement that combines feminism, punk music, and politics,[5] it is often associated with third-wave feminism, which is sometimes seen as having grown out of the riot grrrl movement and has recently been seen in fourth-wave feminist punk music that rose in the 2010s.[6] The genre has also been described as coming out of indie rock, with the punk scene serving as an inspiration for a movement in which women could express anger, rage, and frustration, emotions considered socially acceptable for male songwriters but less commonly for women.[7]

Riot grrrl songs often addressed issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, racism, patriarchy, classism, anarchism, and female empowerment. Primary bands most associated with the movement by media include Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy, Excuse 17, Slant 6, Emily's Sassy Lime, Huggy Bear, Jack Off Jill (later coining the term Riot Goth) and Skinned Teen.[1][8][9][10][11][12][3][13] Also included were queercore groups such as Team Dresch and the Third Sex.[1][14]

In addition to a unique music scene and genre, riot grrrl became a subculture involving a DIY ethic, zines, art, political action, and activism.[15] The movement quickly spread well beyond its musical roots to influence the vibrant zine- and Internet-based nature of fourth-wave feminism, complete with local meetings and grassroots organizing to end intersectional forms of prejudice and oppression, especially physical and emotional violence against all genders.[16] Riot grrrls are known to hold meetings, start chapters,[4] and support and organize women in music[17] as well as art created by transgender people, gay individuals, lesbians, and other communities.[14]

  1. ^ a b c Feliciano, Steve. "the Riot Grrrl Movement". New York Public Library.
  2. ^ "It's Riot Grrrl Day in Boston: 13 Songs to rock out to at work". Sheknows.com. April 9, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b McDonnell, Evelyn; Vincentelli, Elisabeth (May 6, 2019). "Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk. Here's an Essential Listening Guide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Riot Grrrl Map". Google My Maps. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Garrison, Ednie-Kach (2000). "U.S. Feminism-Grrrl Style! Youth (Sub)Cultures and the Technologics of the Third Wave". Feminist Studies. 26 (1): 142. doi:10.2307/3178596. JSTOR 3178596.
  6. ^ "When punk went feminist: the history of riot grrl". Gen Rise Media. May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Marion Leonard. "Riot grrrl." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Jul. 2014.
  8. ^ Hopper, Jessica (January 20, 2011). "Riot Girl: still relevant 20 years on". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Kathleen (March 1, 2002). "Results of a misspent youth: Joan Jett's performance of female masculinity". Women's History Review. 11 (1): 89–114. doi:10.1080/09612020200200312. ISSN 0961-2025.
  10. ^ Meltzer, Marisa (February 15, 2010). Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music. Macmillan. p. 42. ISBN 9781429933285.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Anderson, Sini (2013). The Punk Singer. IFC Films.
  13. ^ Sheffield, Rob (March 27, 2020). "Riot Grrrl Album Guide: Essential LPs from Nineties rock's feminist revolution". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Leyser, Yony (2017). Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution. Torch Films. OCLC 1114281127.
  15. ^ Jackson, Buzzy (2005). A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-05936-6.
  16. ^ Forman-Brunell, Miriam (2001). Girlhood in American: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 563. ISBN 9781576072066.
  17. ^ Schilt, Kristen (2003). ""A Little Too Ironic": The Appropriation and Packaging of Riot Grrrl Politics by Mainstream Female Musicians" (PDF). Popular Music and Society. 26 (1): 5. doi:10.1080/0300776032000076351. S2CID 37919089.