>>Love, Rock and Revolution

The EMP Collection houses a wide array of artifacts from the riot grrrl era — recordings, posters, photographs and fanzines, some of which are on display in Northwest Passage, a gallery that traces the history and development of a variety of Northwest musical movements. The Riot Grrrl Retrospective is an in-depth online exhibit that seeks to document and offer new insight into this important musical phenomenon.

On August 20, 1991, indie rock fans converged on Olympia, Washington, for the opening event of the International Pop Underground Convention (IPU): "Love Rock Revolution Girl Style Now." The all-female bill featured Olympia's Heavens to Betsy; Jean Smith of Vancouver, BC's Mecca Normal; and Bratmobile from Eugene, Oregon — all of whom were little known outside the Pacific Northwest. Within a year, these performers and many others would gather together under the banner "riot grrrl," a catch-all phrase coined by the participants of what would become an educational and revolutionary movement, partially inspired by women in alternative music. Later, the mass media would use the term "riot grrrl" to describe what they perceived as the seemingly "new" arrival of angry women in rock. From the moment of its inception, riot grrrl suffered from intense media scrutiny. But as an ideology and an evolving community, it has had a lasting influence on aspiring female musicians.

As with much analysis by the mass media, the mainstream take on riot grrrl was flawed. At the time, coverage was hindered by the fact that many women involved in riot grrrl declined to speak to the media; by the fall of 1992, a "media blackout" had been declared. Instead, the movement relied on cheaply produced photocopied fanzines as its primary means of communication. The mainstream media also tended to focus on the performance aspect of riot grrrl, overlooking the fact that not every riot grrrl was a musician and that the movement encompassed much more than music — riot grrrls were also activists and writers who supported progressive causes like gay rights and abortion. Significantly, the movement attempted to reinvent feminism in its own image. Through publication, performance and meetings, riot grrrl became instrumental in helping young women navigate the cultural and political terrain of the 1990s.

Partially due to media distortion, the history of the riot grrrl movement has remained unclear, its goals and accomplishments left unexamined. The aim of Experience Music Project's Riot Grrrl Retrospective online exhibit is to document and clarify that history. Using interview footage taken at an EMP-organized gathering of riot grrrls in Olympia in December of 1999, where key players from the riot grrrl movement met for three days of interviews, a panel discussion and performances, the Riot Grrrl Retrospective tells the story of the riot grrrl era, as experienced by the women involved in it, and those who were inspired by it.