According to Merriam Webster, riot grrrl is defined as “a girl or woman who participates in a feminist punk movement and subculture; the movement and subculture of feminist punk that originated in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. in the 1990s; feminist punk music[1].” According to Dictionary.com’s Pop Culture Dictionary, “(t)he term riot grrrl resulted from the words of Bratmobile member Jen Smith, who wanted the movement to start a “girl riot” of women making music and making an impact in the punk scene. Zines, such as the one made by Bikini Kill, would change “girl riot” into riot grrrl when referring to the emerging movement.”[2]

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riot%20grrrl

[2] https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/riot-grrrl/

 

Author’s note: Riot grrrl meant many things to many different people and that was its intent. For me, riot grrrl brought feminism into my punk rock life and led me to focus my life on education. Riot grrrl aesthetics, music, zines and politics validated my thoughts and feelings and gave me strength to fight for things that I believed in, to live the way that I wanted to live, and to be the person that I wanted to be, regardless of societal expectations and limitations. Punk rock, riot grrrl and queercore changed (and perhaps even saved) my life.

All of this is to say, I don’t believe a quick definition of riot grrrl is sufficient. I think that you should check out zines, music, articles, books and videos to learn what riot grrrl meant to different people and determine what riot grrrl means to you.

If you are completely new to this subculture, you might want to check out some basic information. Here is a list of punk subgenres, of which riot grrrl & queercore are considered. 

 

Here are links to a few additional sources that you can check out beyond this website’s sections of archives, articles, books, media and zines:

Oregon Public Broadcasting riot grrrrl podcast,“Starting a Riot,” hosted by Fabi Reyna

• Article on “Starting a Riot“: New OPB podcast explores history of riot grrrl movement by Sage Van Wing

MOPOP: Riot Grrrl Retrospectives

NME: A brief history of Riot Grrrl – the space-reclaiming 90s punk movement