A landmark of the 60s hippies’ scene, Woodstock ‘69 is still considered one of the greatest rock festivals of all time. With Creedence Clearwater Revival singing pure American culture, Jimi Hendrix ripping it up on the guitar, and other quintessential 60s artists playing the blues and folk, Woodstock ‘69 was a festival that symbolized the era’s values: peace and love.
Its counterpart—Woodstock ’99—however, carries a different reputation. Riots, arson, and even three deaths occurred at the festival that was supposed to honor its predecessor’s legacy of unity and harmony. Among the incidents of chaos at Woodstock ‘99 were cases of violence and sexual assault against female fans. Yet, despite the severity of these tragedies, they were largely blown off, just as misogyny against women in rock commonly is. In fact, rock has long been a male-dominated genre where, despite their contributions, women are seldom respected and valued.
Mosh pits, full of pushing and shoving, are a tradition at any rock concert to let excess energy out. But sexual assault remains a concern that female fans have to consider when debating whether or not to join a moshpit; these groups of thrusting and stomping people give the excuse to be cramped up to women in a tight, enclosed atmosphere where escape is nearly impossible. Additionally, the crowded nature of mosh pits often allows perpetrators to team up on a vulnerable woman or sneak out unscathed after an attack.
At Woodstock ‘99, which featured a lineup including but not limited to Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rage Against the Machine, around 200,000 fans descended on Rome, New York, to hear hard rock. The violence that ensued in a crowd so populated was horrifying, including several reported rapes of women in the mosh pits. No justice would be brought for these women, as it was deemed too difficult to pursue the perpetrators. The response to the mistreatment of women at Woodstock ‘99 highlights the harsh reality women face in the rock scene: their struggles are merely brushed off.
The genre itself has always been raw and gritty, in contrast with society’s dainty perception of women, which further exacerbates rock’s reluctance to fully accept women. When rock artist Joan Jett, who would release one of the most beloved and timeless rock songs, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” first learned how to play the guitar, her guitar teacher told her, “Girls don’t play rock ‘n’ roll. Let me teach you On Top of Old Smokey instead.” No matter their success, no matter how much they prove themselves capable of writing rock, female rock stars always endure gender-based criticism or comments, like the time Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart received rumours about the two sisters being “lesbian ancestral lovers.”
Unfortunately, when faced with such adversity, female rock stars are often left to fend for themselves because male rock stars often act as bystanders, unwilling to back female musicians. For example, questioned about the reports of rape at Woodstock ‘99, festival organizer John Scher responded: “What about 199,000 kids that came and had a great weekend? Everyone is ignoring them,” illustrating the sheer disregard that the rock community extends to misogynistic incidents. Such negligence toward misogyny in the rock community parallels the approach toward misogyny in everyday life: ignorance.
However, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore the presence of women in male-dominated spheres, whether in rock or elsewhere, as women have been participating in and contributing to these communities for decades, if not centuries. Having women pioneering and creating in the rock scene means being forced to recognize the significance of women, and therefore the sexism against them as well. And for many male rockers, acknowledging the sexism against women in their favourite genre means acknowledging their failure to prevent it—a difficult task for men, who are seldom forced to reckon with their failures as the dominant gender in society. Hence, many male rockers find it easier to dismiss misogyny, rather than challenge a prejudiced culture to elevate and protect all members of the rock community.
Of course, as decades have passed, progress has been made toward achieving gender equality in the genre. Nevertheless, comments like “Do you really listen to that band?” or “Name five songs of that band” are common occurrences girls encounter when expressing interest in rock. Furthermore, crowd-killers — hardcore fans who single out individuals in a crowd to attack, often targeting women — remain an occurrence in the mosh pits of rock concerts today.
Still, women push on. Just like when Heart released “Barracuda” in response to sexist comments—a song that would reach #11 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1977—Emily Armstrong, the new lead vocalist of Linkin Park since 2024, continues to front the band despite complaints about a female singer replacing the band’s late singer Chester Bennington. Although society has not yet fully accepted that gender does not dictate what an individual can and cannot do, it is through the efforts of female rockers and the support of male rockers that rock can become a haven for like-minded musicians, regardless of gender, to create pure, unapologetic music.
