Riot Grrrl
Riot grrrl is a feminist punk movement that began in the early 1990s in Olympia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
The music is raw, loud punk rock with shouted vocals and lyrics about sexism, abuse, sexuality and women's anger and power. Bands, mostly led by women, tied their music to activism, self-published zines and meetings. It is defined as much by its politics and do-it-yourself culture as by its sound, which separates it from punk in general.
Artists it is known for: Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney, Heavens to Betsy.
- Family
- Punk & Emo
- On Spotify
- A current genre
- What it is
- A genre
- From
- Olympia, Washington, early 1990s
- Trackify listeners who play it
- 2%
About 2,000 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have riot grrrl among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Riot Grrrl artists
Hole
Destroy Boys
Dazey and the Scouts
Jack Off Jill
Le Tigre
Mommy Long Legs
Bikini Kill
Kittie
Mannequin Pussy
Heavenly
The riot grrrl artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.