Riot Grrrl Music and Lyrics

Although zines played a major role in shaping riot grrrl, Riot grrrl wouldn't be the riot grrrl we know and love if it weren't for their music. Aside from zines, the riot grrrl scene defined itself through its music. One of the reasons riot grrrl started was to break away from the predominantly male-dominated punk-rock scene. In fact, many of the band members associated with riot grrrl used their concerts to pay homage to women concertgoers. Pioneer riot grrrl band, Bikini Kill, is a prime example of a riot grrrl band incorporating and celebrating women during their shows.

During their shows, Bikini Kill band members invited women to the front and often handed out song lyrics so women, as well as other concertgoers, could sing along, feel safe, and feel incorporated during their performances. In addition to handing out song lyrics, they also invited audience members to come onstage and share personal stories like rape and sexism. They also instructed men who participated in moshing to fall to the back of the pit in order to allow women to move towards the front of the stage.

Although the riot grrrl movement emphasized female empowerment, men also played a large role in the riot grrrl movement. For example, Calvin Johnson and Slim Moon founded record labels K Records and Kill Rock Stars, which where known for featuring many riot grrrl bands. The band Nirvana was also a large supporter of riot grrrl bands, having played alongside a few of them during shows. Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana also dated Bikini Kill members Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail for a period of time and continued to play shows with them even after both couples broke up. Cobain even once stated: "The future of rock belongs to women." Below is an image of a Nirvana concert flyer featuring Bikini Kill.

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Riot grrrl was important because, more than anything, it gave women a voice. In complying with the punk movement, any woman could learn how to play guitar, write lyrics, and let their voices be heard. When riot grrrl members started performing at concerts, not only did they create a safe place for women to go and enjoy music, but they also created a place where women could discuss their important, everyday issues. Through this medium, riot grrrl participants often discussed heavier subject matter such as rape, female empowerment, female sexuality, and domestic abuse in their songs. An example of one of these songs would be "Don't Need You" by Bikini Kill.

"Don't Need You" was released on Bikini Kill's 1994 album "The C.D. Version of the First Two Records." The album was released on the Slim Moon's label Kill Rock Stars, and the song is about rejecting the notion of a woman needing a man in order to be happy. The opening lyrics proudly proclaim: "Don't need you to say we're cute/ Don't need you to say we're alright/ Don't need your atti-f*ckin-tude boy/ Don't need your kiss goodnight," Bikini Kill. These lyrics reject heteronormative roles and state that these women are strong and can function just perfectly on their own. They don't need someone to define who they are; they are perfectly capable of doing that on their own terms.

However, the most important section of the song is the song's final verse, which states "Does it scare you that we don't/ Need you?/ Does it scare you boy that we don't / Need you?/ We don't need you, we don't need you/ Us punk rock whores We don't need you," Bikini Kill. This verse is essential because it openly states why people (often men) rejected the riot grrrl movement. They didn't like/ were afraid of women not needing them. In critics' minds, although maybe not consciously, women were viewed as the lesser, and when women became more active in the punk-rock scene during the 1990's, men, particularly, were hesitant at accepting them. The riot grrrl movement was started as a way to fight against that notion. In essence, this song amplifies what the riot grrrl movement was stood for. Below is a video to the song "Don't Need You."