riot grrrl

noun

-ˈgər(-ə)l 

variants or Riot Grrrl or less commonly Riot grrrl

plural riot grrrls or Riot Grrrls also Riot grrrls

1

: a girl or woman who participates in a feminist punk movement and subculture

Thirty years ago, the riot grrrls raged against the patriarchy's ills …

—Amina Cattaui

Riot grrrls' unifying principle is that being female is inherently confusing and contradictory and that women have to find a way to be sexy, angry and powerful at the same time.

—Kim France

also : the movement and subculture of feminist punk that originated in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. in the 1990s

I struggled to remember when I was first introduced to a version of feminism that I resonated with. I knew it wasn't through reading bell hooks or Gloria Steinem. … Turns out, my entry point to feminism was through Riot grrrl.

—Tiffany Diane Tso

In the era of MeToo, Riot Grrrl's condemnation of sexism, sexual violence, and gender power imbalance remains crucial and necessary.

—Jolie Braun

2

: feminist punk music

Introduce that young aspiring punk in your life to riot grrrl with an essential album from one of the greatest bands of the irreverent, feminist subgenre.

—Amanda Waltz

L7 and other female-fronted or all-female bands of this era, such as Hole, Babes in Toyland and Veruca Salt, often got thrown in with riot grrrl. … These bands weren't as political as bands like Bikini Kill—L7 were a fearless LA rock band that just happened to be four women but their feminist message still hit hard.

—Kate Hutchinson

To understand how and why Riot Grrrl music emerged, it's important to understand that it's never just been about the music, but also the activism that Riot Grrrl artists incited.

—Sydney Hsu

Examples of riot grrrl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The book chronicled everything from her tumultuous childhood and punk epiphanies at college to her formative years at the heart of the riot grrrl movement and her various music endeavors, including Bikini Kill, the Julie Ruin, and Le Tigre. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2024

The Softies were pioneers, the bridge between riot grrrl and emotional indie-rock singer-songwriter mode — now that’s mostly what indie rock is. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2024

The ’90s saw plenty of riot grrrls, and the Iraq War generated its fair share of politicized music in response. —Aja Romano, Vox, 10 May 2024

More perspicacious than angry invective alone, that alchemy of tones has been her signature since the early ’90s, when a 20-something Hanna fronted Bikini Kill, the punk band that became the most visible act associated with the third-wave feminist movement known as riot grrrl. —TIME, 7 May 2024

Deal also reminisces about the riot grrrl movement and scene leaders like Kathleen Hanna who were advocating for women to feel seen in and outside of music. —Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

Rockabilly, punk, riot grrrl, new wave, glam rock – a cornucopia of styles and eras ripe for Beyoncé’s take. —Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024

Rodrigo’s favorite retro decade, the 1990s, got saluted with a selection of preshow PA music that included riot grrrl bands such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. —Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024

Tuesday, March 12 Sleater-Kinney at the Anthem After the riot grrrl beginnings of guitarist-vocalists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, Sleater-Kinney’s late-’90s breakthrough was powered by drummer Janet Weiss. —Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

riot entry 1 + grrrl, respelling of girl, with grrr representing a growl

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined at sense 1