# Bikini Kill — Rebel Girl

Bikini Kill’s Rebel Girl (1993) is No. 1 in our Riot Grrrl ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1993
- **Label:** Kill Rock Stars
- **On one list:** Riot Grrrl
- **Updated:** 2026-08-31
- **Artist:** [Bikini Kill](https://waxonia.com/artist/bikini-kill/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/bikini-kill--rebel-girl/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Riot Grrrl](https://waxonia.com/genre/riot-grrrl/)

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.

## Analysis

5 sections, the first drop at 0:08, 5% of the way in.

- **Tempo:** 136 BPM — holds throughout
- **Dynamic range:** 3.6 dB — compressed hard — very little between the quiet and the loud
- **Length:** 2:37

- `0:00` A · **intro**, instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `0:37` B · **peak** (bar 21), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `0:51` B · **breakdown** (bar 29), sung — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `1:18` C · **peak** (bar 45), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other
- `1:33` B · **outro** (bar 53), sung — the closing fall — playing: drums, bass, vocals, other

**Drop** at 0:08 (bar 5). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Bikini%20Kill%20Rebel%20Girl) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jfCqCKY5nUc)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.