Riot Grrrl

Riot grrrl (or riot grrl) is a form of hardcore punk rock music, known for its militant feminist stance. The genre first appeared in the early 1990s as an offshoot of alternative rock and punk music and as a response to prevalent attitudes of punk machismo, building also on a history of all-women bands. A key factor in this movement was the support for girls not needing to be musically trained to start a band.

History

Like its contemporary, grunge music, riot grrrl arose in the fertile music scene of Seattle and Olympia as well as in Washington D.C, although it wasn't limited to these cities. Other scenes arose across the United States, and in the United Kingdom, represented by such groups as Huggy Bear and Voodoo Queens.

Related Topics:
Grunge music - Seattle - Olympia - Washington D.C - United States - United Kingdom - Huggy Bear - Voodoo Queens

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Historically, the term stems from the all-female opening night of the International Pop Underground convention in Olympia on August 20, 1991. It was coined by Alison Wolfe (of Bratmobile) in response to a comment by Jean Smith (of Mecca Normal) that, "We need to start a girl RIOT!"

Related Topics:
International Pop Underground - August 20 - 1991 - Mecca Normal

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Breaking out from the music, riot grrrl activities included national conventions in D.C., the Pussystock festival in New York City, and a slew of zines, notably Girl Germs, Fantastic Fanzine, Satan Wears A Bra and Quit Whining. Riot grrrl's momentum was supported by an explosion of self-published zines that covered a variety of feminist topics, frequently attempting to draw out the political implications of intensely personal experiences with sexism, mental illness, body image, sexual abuse, and homosexuality. These zines were archived for many years by Riot Grrrl Press, started in Washington DC in 1992 by Erika Reinstein & May Summer. Due to financial hardships, Riot Grrrl Press disbanded in the late 90's.

Related Topics:
Pussystock - Girl Germs - Satan Wears A Bra - Quit Whining - Zines - Sexism - Mental illness - Body image - Sexual abuse - Homosexuality

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Much to their chagrin, the riot grrrls found themselves in the media spotlight during 1992, featured for dragging feminism into the mosh pit in magazines from Seventeen to Newsweek. This led to conflict within the riot grrrl community because many felt that "Riot grrrl" could not be defined; it meant too many things to too many people. Fallout from the media coverage led to resignations of people like Jessica Hopper, who was at the center of the Newsweek article. Riot grrrl leader Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill called that year for "a press block" and reporters from papers like The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, and Houston Chronicle found themselves fleshing out riot grrrl articles by describing exactly the way in which various scenesters hung up on them.

Related Topics:
1992 - Mosh pit - Seventeen - Newsweek - The Seattle Times - The Washington Post - Houston Chronicle

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