Before she formed the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill in 1990, singer Kathleen Hanna was just another private-school student trying to find herself. Contrary to popular opinion, the teachers at trendy Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, didn’t take kindly to her literary experiments, so she refrained from letting her emotions go.

But then she met underground writer Kathy Acker and realized she didn’t need to hold back. Acker helped her channel her more extreme impulses, and it wasn’t long before Hanna was fronting the abrasive and openly feminist Bikini Kill.

Hanna’s history is well documented in the The Punk Singer, a terrific documentary that shows just how rockin’ the band’s music (and politics) could be. The movie screens at 7 tonight at the Rock Hall. Tickets are $5.50, free for Rock Hall members and free with Rock Hall admission.

This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.