The Best of 90’s Female Grunge Music

Looking for a blast from the past? Check out our list of the best female grunge musicians from the 1990s. You’ll definitely want to add these grunge queens to your playlist!

Introduction

Female grunge musicians of the early ’90s paved the way for generations of women in rock. With their unapologetic attitude and raw talent, these women quickly made a name for themselves in a male-dominated genre. Here are some of the best female grunge musicians of the ’90s.

Hole

Hole was an American alternative rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989. The band was fronted by singer and guitarist Courtney Love, and is most well-known for their hit song “Celebrity Skin”. The band’s sound was a mix of punk and grunge, and their lyrics were often about female empowerment and rage.

Celebrity Skin

Celebrity Skin is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide on September 8, 1998 on Geffen Records and one day later in the United States on DGC Records. It was their last album released before lead singer and songwriter Courtney Love’s incarceration, and the last to feature drummer Patty Schemel. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Upon its release, Celebrity Skin received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 20 reviews, which indicates “universal acclaim”. AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Love’s songwriting abilities, particularly her “habit of mining her personal life for lyrical inspiration”, and called Celebrity Skin an “ambitious step forward” for the band. Michael Azerrad of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Celebrity Skin is “the sound of a band growing up”, and commented that it is Hole’s “most accomplished work to date”. Similarly, David Browne of New York magazine praised the album as Hole’s “most focused recording”, and said that it contained some of Love’s best vocal work.

Live Through This

Live Through This is the second studio album by American rock band Hole, released on April 12, 1994, by DGC Records. It was the band’s first release with lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The album was produced by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie and mixed by Scott Litt and Warren Endo.

The album is Hole’s most commercially successful release to date, entering the Billboard 200 chart at number one and selling over four million copies worldwide. Critical reaction was largely positive, with Spin magazine naming it Album of the Year and MTV giving the video for “Miss World” constant airplay on its international network. The album is often considered one of the definitive grunge albums of the 1990s.

In 2015, to commemorate its 21st anniversary, Live Through This was reissued on vinyl in various colors by Universal Music Group.

L7

Bricks Are Heavy

Bricks Are Heavy is the third studio album by American rock band L7, released on May 5, 1992 by Slash Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and features the singles “Pretend We’re Dead”, “Slap-Happy”, and “Shove”.

The album was certified Gold in the United States and Canada.

Smell My Finger

There’s no denying that the ’90s were a magical time for music. We had some of the best female artists of all time grace our radio waves, bearing their souls and rocking our worlds. grunge music, in particular, had a huge impact on society and continues to influence musicians today.

If you’re a fan of female grunge musicians, then you’ll definitely want to check out Smell My Finger. The all-female grunge band from Seattle was active in the early ’90s and released one album, Smell My Finger, in 1992.

The album is an ode to the ’90s grunge scene, with distorted guitars and angsty lyrics about love and life. It’s the perfect listen for anyone who wants to reminisce about the good old days or discover a new favorite band.

Babes in Toyland

One of the most iconic bands of the 90’s female grunge music scene was Babes in Toyland. The band formed in Minneapolis in 1987 and was fronted by vocalist and guitarist Kat Bjelland. The band’s raw and aggressive sound was a huge influence on the grunge music scene.

Fontanelle

Formed in 1991 by singer, songwriter, and bassist Lisa Ryden, Fontanelle was an American female grunge band from Los Angeles, California. The band’s sound was noted for its heavy yet melodic approach, and their lyrics often deal with dark subjects such as depression, death, and addiction.

Fontanelle released two studio albums during their career, the first being ‘Babes in Toyland’ in 1992. The album was met with positive reviews from critics, and is considered one of the defining albums of the female grunge movement. It includes the singles “Sweet69” and “Feed My Frankenstein”, both of which received significant airplay on alternative rock radio stations.

The band’s second album, ‘Nurse’, was released in 1994 to a less favorable reception than their debut. It failed to produce any hit singles, and Fontanelle disbanded shortly after its release. Despite this, ‘Babes in Toyland’ remains an influential album within the grunge community, and is considered one of the best examples of female-fronted grunge music.

Nemesisters

Nemesisters was a Canadian female grunge music trio from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The band consisted of singer-songwriter-guitarist Mia Martin, bassist Bianca Chomer, and drummer Kirsten Hotchkiss. They were active between 1991 and 1996 and released two studio albums, Olympia (1992) and Newave (1994).

Nemesisters were known for their abrasive, heavy sound and Martin’s dark lyrics which dealt with themes of death, addiction, abuse, and betrayal. The band was compared to grunge pioneers such as Nirvana and Hole, as well as to Riot Grrrl acts like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney. They were also one of the few all-female grunge bands at a time when the genre was dominated by male artists.

Despite critical acclaim, Nemesisters never achieved commercial success and disbanded in 1996. Mia Martin died of a drug overdose in 1997; she was 26 years old.

The Gits

The Gits were an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. The band was formed in 1986 by Mia Zapata (vocals), Andy Strachan (drums), and Steve Moriarty (guitar). They were active from 1986 to 1993, when Zapata was raped and murdered in Seattle. The Gits released one studio album, Enter: The Conquering Chicken (1992), and two extended plays, Frenching the Bully (1992) and Love Life (1993) before their dissolution.

Enter: The Conquering Chicken

Formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington, The Gits were one of the most successful female grunge bands of the 90s. Although they only released one studio album, their mix of punk and grunge made them a force to be reckoned with.

The Gits were fronted by the charismatic singer and guitarist Mia Zapata. At just 27 years old, she was tragically murdered in 1993, shocking the music world. The band broke up soon after, but their legacy lives on through their music.

Frenching the Bully

Frenching the Bully is the debut album by American rock band The Gits, released in 1992. The album was recorded in just two weeks and was produced by Jack Endino.

The Gits were a female-fronted grunge band from Seattle, Washington, United States, formed in 1986.The Gits disbanded after the murder of singer Mia Zapata in 1993.

Conclusion

So there you have it. The best of 90’s female grunge music. We hope you enjoyed our list and found some new music to love. If you have any suggestions for other female grunge artists or songs, please let us know in the comments below.