Grunge, riot grrrl and the forgetting of women in popular culture

DURING THE EARLY 1990S, THE MUSICAL GENRE OF ('GRUNGE' WITH its associated cultural trappings such as clothing and certain attitudinal/political elements) first came to prominence on a large scale when Nirvana's album Nevermind unexpectedly became a huge hit. Before this, the grunge 'scene' had been centered on Seattle and the Sub Pop record label. Often described as a cross between punk and heavy metal (Mazullo 719), musically grunge had a 'dark,' guitarbased sound based around a traditional rock line up (guitar, bass, and drums). An unusual feature of the grunge scene was the relatively high proportion of female performers and bands, and this, combined with explicit antisexism stances taken by prominent male grunge musicians such as Kurt Cobain, and its close proximity to the feminist Riot Grrrl movement, served to position it as a more gender-neutral scene than many others in 'rock.' However, over time grunge has been reclaimed as a masculine space along the lines of other rock movements. This article will examine the processes of remembering and forgetting that have surrounded the women involved in the 'grunge' movement.