Punk was founded in 1977, based on a do-it-yourself ethic, an anti-capitalist mindset, and to make a place for outcasts to fit in. What happens when the scene made of outcasts rejects you? The principles that the scene was founded on were washing away, bands were selling out to make money, and the more popular punk became, women did not feel as though they had a place.
In Olympia, Washington, the beginnings of Riot Grrrl began. In 1991, Kathleen Hannah of Bikini Kill wrote the Riot Grrrl Manifesto, published in Bikini Kill Zine 2. Every statement of the document is important, but to me, the one line that speaks volumes is “BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.” Riot Grrrl spoke out against sexism, racism, homophobia, sexual harassment, etc., which made the movement get negative attention from outsiders.
It was not only the ideals that people hated, it was also the look. The Riot Grrrl style knew no limits, Kathleen Hanna would even perform in a bra with “slut” written on her.