# Female Punk Bands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636 "2006-07-15T18:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/1 "2006-07-15T18:32:46Z")
It occured to me recently that I couldn’t think of any. Actually punk, I mean, without having to shoehorn them into the genre as they’re kind of sort of punk. They must exist, however. Which ones do dopers know of? ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/2 "2006-07-15T19:24:05Z")
Sleater-Kinney The Runaways (sort of a manufactured band, but they had at least one decent song) The Breeders The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Shonen Knife Patti Smith (there were some men in her group, so maybe she doesn’t count) There are tons more that were part of the Riot Grrl movement. If you look up Riot Grrl you’ll find a list somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/3 "2006-07-15T19:37:09Z")
Second on Sleater-Kinney. That’s exactly who I thought of when I read the OP. I don’t know if The Yeah Yeah Yeahs count though, since I believe only the lead singer is female. The guitarist and drummer are both male. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/4 "2006-07-15T19:42:51Z")
The Slits. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/5 "2006-07-15T19:46:00Z")
Le Tigre Dressy Bessy ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/6 "2006-07-15T19:46:58Z")
Does L7 count as Punk? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/7 "2006-07-15T19:51:14Z")
The Red Aunts. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/8 "2006-07-15T19:51:20Z")
The Go-Go’s were pop punk, at least at the start. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/9 "2006-07-15T20:14:32Z")
[QUOTE=DxZero] I don’t know if The Yeah Yeah Yeahs count though, since I believe only the lead singer is female. The guitarist and drummer are both male. [/QUOTE] Well, I thought of and dismissed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs too, but not because there are guys in the group but for the shoehorning thing I mentioned in the OP. For clarification, girl-fronted bands with guy members are welcome to the list too, as long as the majority of the vocals are by the girl(s). ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/10 "2006-07-15T20:27:41Z")
Fuzzbox was punk, until the _Big Bang!_ album anyway. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/11 "2006-07-15T20:31:31Z")
Bikini Kill? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/12 "2006-07-15T20:41:32Z")
[The Donnas](http://www.thedonnas.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Waldo\_Jeffers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Waldo\_Jeffers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waldo_Jeffers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/13 "2006-07-15T20:57:07Z")
Elastica. They have 3 gals and 1 guy (drummer) on their self-titled album. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/14 "2006-07-15T21:20:26Z")
Kinda punky is Veruca Salt. It was founded by Louise Post and Nina Gordon and I believe it was all female at one time. It’s a different incarnation nowadays with two men and only Louise Post left. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/15 "2006-07-15T21:30:32Z")
[Kittie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittie) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/16 "2006-07-15T21:33:57Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] For clarification, girl-fronted bands with guy members are welcome to the list too, as long as the majority of the vocals are by the girl(s). [/QUOTE] That opens the floor to Siouxsie & the Banshees and X-Ray Spex. As for all-gurl bands, if so-called “post punk” counts–and it probably should–then I’ll add the Raincoats and Dolly Mixture. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/17 "2006-07-15T21:37:05Z")
The Lunachicks. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/18 "2006-07-15T21:41:51Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Does L7 count as Punk? [/QUOTE] I dunno, but my favorite punk moment is in [Serial Mom](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111127/) where the guy goes up in flames on stage while the band–L7–is playing. At the end of the song, the lead singer takes a mouthful of something highly alcoholic and spits it on the still-smoldering corpse. Big flames. Darned funny. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/19 "2006-07-15T22:00:07Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] That opens the floor to Siouxsie & the Banshees and X-Ray Spex. As for all-gurl bands, if so-called “post punk” counts–and it probably should–then I’ll add the Raincoats and Dolly Mixture. [/QUOTE] Siouxie appeared in the “history of punk” piece I saw the other day on IFC or Sundance (I forget which). I’d say she counts. Even though she was commenting. (Great documentary, by the way). ---
**Author:** ![Gene\_Frenkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gene\_Frenkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gene_Frenkle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636/20 "2006-07-15T22:02:13Z")
Ditto the Slits. 10 quid for the lot? We pay fuckall! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-punk-bands/364636.md?page=2)