Turn that song down…turn the static up! It’s time to look back at Riot Grrrl. This feminist punk movement emerged in the early ‘90s in the Northwest with a confrontational sound and message. Riot Grrrl didn’t last long, but its legacy lives on through spin-off bands, as well as the concept of a revolutionary rock chick that has been usurped by everyone from the Spice Girls to Avril Lavigne. To hear more about the history of Riot Grrrl, Jim and Greg talk to Sara Marcus, author of Girls to the Front. Sara also shares her quintessential Riot Grrrl recordings:

Bikini Kill, The C.D. Version of the First Two Records
Bikini Kill, New Radio 7”
Bratmobile, Pottymouth
Heavens to Betsy, These Monsters Are Real 7”
Huggy Bear, Taking the Rough with the Smooch

As Sara Marcus explains, the term “Riot Grrrl” often gets thrown around when it comes to any loud lady singer. But the movement is much more specific in terms of time and place. As critics, Jim and Greg have to admit that the music produced by Riot Grrrl bands has not held up as well as the message. But the next generation is a different story. So to wrap-up they play songs by two bands that trace their lineage back to Riot Grrrl.

Greg chooses “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” by Sleater-Kinney. Sleater-Kinney was founded by Corin Tucker, of the Riot Grrrl band Heavens to Betsy and Carrie Brownstein of the queercore band Excuse 17. Jim goes with “Hot Topic,” by Le Tigre, the next project from Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna.