The Women of Grunge: 5 Female Artists Who Influenced the Male-Dominated Genre

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were a lot of dudes in and around Seattle starting bands. Before anyone knew it, a sizable number of those bands became incredible successes. Household names. Giants.

Those, of course, were groups like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Not to mention Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Temple of the Dog, and others. All those groups were lumped into the rock subgenre of grunge, but another thing they all have in common is that not one of them features a woman.

But, wait—this isn’t a referendum. This is a judgment-free zone, grunge fans! We’re not here to point fingers. But by the same token, while so many fellas are celebrated in grunge, it’s also important to make sure we tell the complete story of the musical style, from its origins to its heroes and innovators. That’s exactly what we wanted to do here.

These are the women of grunge: five female artists who influenced the male-dominated genre.

1. Mia Zapata

Frontwoman for the buzzy Seattle band The Gits Mia Zapata was on the cusp of making it when the unthinkable happened. She was gruesomely murdered while walking home late at night. Since that dreadful day, the world has missed out on the rugged, raw, hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck energy that Mia Zapata brought to the stage.

Before all that, Zapata was a spark in the city. Her band, which formed in 1986 in Ohio and shortly after moved to Seattle, could have been the next big thing. (More recently, Sub Pop has re-released their albums).

2. Carrie Akre

Formed in 1990, Hammerbox, fronted by versatile singer Carrie Akre, was a big player in the Pacific Northwest. It’s easy to hear Akre’s undeniable influence on rock singers that came later, including No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani.

After Hammerbox disbanded in 1994, Akre formed Goodness. Since then, she’s been part of many musical events in the city, including the reforming of the local supergroup The Rockfords, which features Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on guitar.

3. Courtney Love

It would be hard to find a single person who had more of an influence on grunge music than Courtney Love. The widow of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, Love was (and remains) a star in her own right as the singer and songwriter for Hole.

Crooning about doll parts and celebrity skin, Love was the pinup anti-hero. And from many accounts, including those of Nirvana’s former tour sound person Craig Montgomery, Love had as much of an influence on Cobain as he did her, if not more so. Today, her songs continue to slap.

4. Tina Bell

Before Courtney Love, before Mia Zapata, there was Tina Bell, who belted out her lyrics over loud, hefty electric guitars as far back in Seattle as the mid-80s. Yet it’s only recently that Bell, the frontwoman for the band Bam Bam, is getting her due. Sadly, that comes more than a decade after she passed away in 2012.

Nevertheless, Bam Bam was hot stuff and the future grunge stars of the ’90s were taking notes. Her group included Matt Cameron, who would go on to be the drummer for Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Cobain used to follow Bell around at her shows as well. They all learned a lot from her.

5. Shannon Funchess

The lead vocalist for the band Imij (Jimi, as in Hendrix, spelled backward), Shannon Funchess had the ability to effortlessly transition from rock to reggae to straight guttural grunge. She had depth and pain in her voice, but a type of electrified precision, too.

Imij released a four-song EP in 1991, Straight from the Master, and followed that up three years later with the In Gods You Lust EP in 1994. In between, they were signed to Capital Records but nothing much materialized from that partnership. Still, the band is known amongst devoted fans in the Pacific Northwest and may even experience a resurgence sooner than later.

Bonus: Susan Silver

Not technically an artist (though, who knows if she used to noodle around with an acoustic guitar at home like most of us), Susan Silver was crucial behind the scenes when it came to the then-burgeoning genre of grunge.

In her career, she has managed Soundgarden (and then-boyfriend Chris Cornell), Alice in Chains, and Screaming Trees. She also advised Nirvana on some important business dealings around the release of Nevermind. Big time!