Bikini Kill

Cover of Bikini Kill zine

Bikini Kill was a zine published in 1991 by Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox, all members of the band Bikini Kill.

The phrase had been coined by Lois Maffeo, and editor Tobi Vail asked if she could use it. The articles were primarily by singer Kathleen Hanna and drummer Tobi Vail. Articles centered around punk rock, girls in bands, political and feminist issues and Riot Grrrl. As well, extensive scene reports on Olympia, Washington and San Francisco are included, with news about bands such as Nation of Ulysses, Bratmobile, Kicking Giant, Heavens to Betsy, Suture, Nirvana, Fugazi, Unwound and the International Pop Underground festival. Issue two included a detailed interview with the band Tribe 8 as well as a couple of letters, a remembrance of Paula Pierce of the Pandoras, and articles on Fat Oppression and the coolness of being dorky.

It was this zine, along with Jigsaw, Girl Germs, and the zine riot grrrl that instigated the Riot Grrrl movement.

Selections from Bikini Kill were included in the 2013 anthology The Riot Grrrl Collection, edited by Lisa Darms and published by The Feminist Press.

Bikini Kill is included in the Sarah and Jen Wolfe Zine Collection at The University of Iowa and the D.C. Punk and Indie Fanzine Collection at the University of Maryland.

Bikini Kill was one of the titles featured in the 2023-2024 Brooklyn Museum exhibition devoted to artist-made zines, Copy Machine Manifesto.

External Links

• Sarah and Jen Wolfe Zine Collection at The University of Iowa
• D.C. punk and indie fanzine collection, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries