Author’s note: It was really fun to discover live footage from back in the 1990s in my online search. We didn’t have cell phone cameras and I don’t think that I ever saw a video camera at any shows that I attended back then – whether they were D.I.Y. shows, basement shows or large concert events – so I was thrilled to find these videos. Funnily enough, Kathleen Hanna can be seen questioning the man filming the concert at Yale because she was so surprised to see someone with a camera pointed at her. 

Movies, documentaries, docuseries, video essays, etc.:

Before Riot Grrrl: X-Ray Spex & “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” (16:41) 

Bikini Kill concert at Yale – filmed by a fan in New Haven in 1996 (48:38)

Bikini Kill in the U.K. 1993 by Lucy Thane (24:49)

Bikini Kill, the Linda Lindas and a 30-year riot by PBS NewsHour (7:23)

Decline of Western Civilization – about the late 1970s LA punk scene, including female-fronted bands Alice Bag Band & X

Don’t Need You – The Herstory of Riot Grrrl (39:09) 

From the Back of the Room – Trailer (1:59)

Grrrl Love and Revolution – Riot Grrrl NYC – Trailer (7:23 of 42 minute documentary by Women Make Movies)

The Long Queer History of Punk (12:58) 

The Punk Rock Movie  (1:24:37) – a British 1978 film that was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock movement, principally during the 100 days in 1977 in which punk acts were featured at The Roxy club in London. Includes live footage of influential bands, such as: The Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees and X-Ray Spex.

Punk Singer  (1:21:24)

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution (1:20:00)

Rebel Dykes (1:32:00) – a riotous documentary about the explosion that happened when punk met feminism, told through the lives of a gang of lesbians in post-punk, 1980s London. 

Riot Grrrl Documentary  (17:21) – a high school project

Riot Grrrl, Moxie, & Intersectional Feminism  (15:53)

Riot Grrrl: The ’90s Movement that Redefined Punk (8:41) 

Riot Grrrl: The Story of Feminist DIY Punk (11:31)  

Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary (1:19:53)

She’s Real (Worse Than Queer) Part 1 (23:58) & Part 2 (26:59) by Lucy Thane 

The Girls in the Band – full documentary currently available on Tubi – The Girls in the Band reveals the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 1930s to the present day. These incredibly talented women endured sexism, racism, and diminished opportunities for decades, yet continued to persevere, inspire, and elevate their talents in a field that seldom welcomed them.

Women Who Rock – 4 part docuseries from 2022