‘When She Talks, I Hear the Revolution’: Feminism in Punk Music

Resumen

Born in the 90s in Olympia, Washington, The Riot Grrrl movement is considered both a branch or subgenre within punk music, and one of the most influential subcultural and underground scenes of the last three decades that merges feminism, politics, and music. The aim of this paper is to provide a thorough analysis of nine of the most iconic and relevant punk songs from a feminist approach. The Riot Grrrl movement was created from the ashes of punk and its ethics of inclusiveness and integration, and to serve as a safe haven to discuss female concerns and to spread feminist ideas among a new and younger audience. Performers such as Patti Smith and Poly Styrene, and bands like The Slits and X-Ray Spex laid a strong and solid foundation during the late 1970s for future generations to come, and they were promptly followed by iconic Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill, and many others like Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy, Sleater-Kinney, Huggy Bear, Linus, and Skinned Teen. Ultimately, the objective is to highlight the contribution of these female artists and bands to the third- and fourth-wave feminist movement, and to emphasise the importance of popular culture in feminist activism.