The 7 best Riot Grrrl tracks of all time
Riot Grrrl
Olympia and Washington DC, 1991: hardcore's tools handed to women who were tired of being crushed at the front of the room, distributed through photocopied zines as much as through records.
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Bikini Kill / Rebel Girl
Kathleen Hanna singing about wanting to be a girl's best friend, at full volume, with Joan Jett producing. The movement's one unarguable anthem.
Huggy Bear / Her Jazz
The British half, performed on Channel 4 before an argument broke out in the studio audience. Chaotic, and the record that made the scene a UK news story.
Fugazi / Suggestion
A man singing about street harassment from the woman's position, three years early, from the label that made the scene possible. Contested at the time, and worth arguing about still.
Bratmobile / Cool Schmool
Two chords, a drummer barely holding it together, and total confidence. The deliberate amateurism is a position, not a limitation.
Bikini Kill / Feels Blind
Slower and considerably angrier than Rebel Girl. Hanna's voice cracks and the recording keeps it, which was always the point.
Heavens to Betsy / Tell Me
Corin Tucker before Sleater-Kinney, with a vibrato that sounds like it is about to break something. The purest voice the scene produced.
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Sleater-Kinney / Dig Me Out
What the scene became once the musicianship caught up with the position. Two guitars, no bass, and interlocking parts that owe more to Gang of Four than to punk.