'The opposite of the band' fangrrrling, feminism and sexual dissidence

In this article, two feminist historians from different generations trace Alan Sinfield’s ongoing influence on their work and practice from both an individual and collaborative perspective. We were funded by Santander to work in the Riot Grrrl archives in the Fales Library, New York. There we found the pleasures and faultlines of a DIY subculture that self-consciously intervened in the relationship between feminism and fandom. The zines and ‘networks of paper’ that riot grrrls produced, challenged patriarchal privilege both within and beyond their subcultural context. Riot grrrl produced new icons and cannons to inspire a new generation of feminist practice, but in the process they were confronted with the contradictions of being ‘the opposite of the band’.