Riot Grrrl and the Holy Noise of Growth

Riot Grrrl and the Holy Noise of Growth

by Sister Abigail Hester, OFC

The Riot Grrrl movement burst out of the 1990s like a raw, unapologetic scream—a feminist punk uprising that demanded space for women’s voices in a world that tried to drown them out. It was chaotic, angry, beautiful, and necessary. Yet like many early feminist spaces, it wasn’t always inclusive. Trans women, women of color, and others at the margins often found themselves on the outside of a revolution that claimed to be for everyone.

As a transgender woman, I stand in support of the Riot Grrrl movement—not because it was flawless, but because it learned to grow. The true test of any movement is not in its perfection but in its capacity for transformation. And Riot Grrrl, at its best, has embraced that transformation—shifting from exclusivity to intersectionality, from walls to bridges, from anger without direction to anger infused with love and solidarity.

Today, we see trans and nonbinary punks reclaiming the mic, reshaping what “girl power” means, and bringing sacred noise to the frontlines of gender justice. This isn’t a betrayal of Riot Grrrl’s roots; it’s their fulfillment. It’s the echo of that same battle cry—now broadened to include every voice that was once silenced.

We need movements that can admit their imperfections, confront their shadows, and evolve with grace. Growth is holy work. Repentance and renewal are revolutionary acts. Whether in the Church or in punk, salvation always begins with truth-telling.

Riot Grrrl reminds us that activism isn’t about being spotless—it’s about being real. Punk was never about perfection anyway. It was always about showing up with courage, messy hair, chipped nail polish, and a heart on fire for justice.

So here’s to the holy noise of growth. Here’s to the movement that dares to keep learning. And here’s to every trans woman with a mic in her hand and fury in her soul, still singing, still fighting, still alive.