Women have always played rock and roll. From ‘60s wailers like Janis Joplin, to ‘70s punk legends like Patti Smith, to ‘80s guitar wizards like Joan Jett and Lita Ford, all the way to ‘90s alt-rock darlings like Courtney Love, each decade has seen some key female artists in the genre.
Still, the fact remains that rock and roll has always been almost exclusively an all-boys club. For example, less than 20 percent of the bands on the most recent Warped Tour roster included at least one female.
As for the reason why? That’s where it gets tricky.