#MOREGIRLBANDS: Worm Shot Keeps the Riot Grrrl Movement Alive in Reno

By Caydie Tampac

Photos By Ellyn Pillers

The Riot Grrrl Movement sparked in the 1990s when several women came together to fight back against the patriarchy – and the fight isn’t done yet. Decades later, Worm Shot keeps the Riot Grrrl spirit alive as they join in the battle for girls to have a place in the scene. And their weapon of choice? Punk-rock music.

Baylor Luckey belting out on stage while strumming a guitar. Photographed at The Holland by Ellyn Pillers 9/5/25.

What is the Riot Grrrl Movement?

Girls screaming their anger out while shredding aggressive, gritty chords all while pioneering a women’s revolution? What more could you ever want?

It originated in the ‘90s when women couldn’t ignore the exclusion and oppression they felt as females in not only society, but in the punk scene. In a male-dominated atmosphere, they were jaded by the suffocating constraints of sexism and went on to form not just a new subculture of punk, but a feminist social movement that centers around the experience, and the struggle, of being a woman.

Concert poster for 1990 Riot Grrrl band Bikini Kill, one of the many pioneers of the Riot Grrrl Movement.

In an era where women were expected to be gentle and obedient, Riot Grrrls belted out in the punk-rock fury of being subjugated by the patriarchy, backed by heavy, loud, and fast instrumentals. Through their music, Riot Grrrls rejected misogynistic oppression by ridiculing sexist stereotypes and advocating for female empowerment.

The Present-Day Riot Grrrls

The historically significant Riot Grrrl Movement continues to live on and thrive in the modern-era, inspiring many young women. Particularly, Worm Shot, a Reno-based punk-rock band composed of Baylor Luckey (Vocalist and Rhythm Guitarist), Cierra Randall (Bassist), Gina Hoàng (Drummer), and Liv Rogers (Guitarist). Drawing inspiration from the sounds of Veruca Salt, Joan Jett, and the Breeders, they carry on the decades-long movement into our biggest little city, allowing girls in the local Reno music scene to celebrate the female experience together.

For Worm Shot, nothing fosters a sense of happiness as being in a band with best friends. They’re together not only because they’re talented and magnetic as musical artists, but they’re a sisterhood who confides, uplifts, and supports each other. With the music scene being primarily male-dominant, many women feel as though they don’t have a place in music, whether it’s by underrepresentation or unwelcoming attitudes. Randall recalls the “unchecked reactions to women in music” that is often overlooked or neglected, but still leaves a thorn in their side. This can be particularly prevalent in the scene towards Worm Shot as an all-female band.

“Everyone’s feelings about women in music go towards you, whether they know that or not. It still hurts because we’re still people,” Randall states.

Randall gleaming as she plays the bass guitar. Photographed at The Holland by Ellyn Pillers 9/5/25.

Having a place of comfort is especially important for women in the music scene. As Worm Shot’s members bloom into their twenties, they’ve found a sense of belonging in each other, a bond built on trust, support, and the knowledge that they can depend on one another, rain or shine.

“There’s something really special about the bond between women, especially at the time of our lives that we’re in,” says Randall. “We’re all around the same age, we’re all kind of just entering adulthood, and we really have spent some of our most formative years together…” Randall reminisces upon the sincere beauty that can sprout from vulnerability and hardships .

The marginalization they feel in a scene they are so passionate about being in can take a heavy toll. However, it accentuates the necessity of continuing the Riot Grrrl Movement in the present-day. Worm Shot holds a deep admiration and respect for the history and basis of the Riot Grrrl Movement, particularly pushing back against the unjust treatment that women suffer from men in the music scene, such as hateful criticism and unsolicited comments.

Rogers harmonizing as she plays the guitar. Photographed at The Holland by Ellyn Pillers 9/5/25.

“It was a bunch of girls that made punk music and people were pissed about it,” says Rogers. “Men were really upset about it, because it wasn’t a scene that women were meant to play in.”

Being in the punk-rock scene now, Worm Shot not only combats the haters, but expresses their own definition of what it means to be a girl band. Riot Grrrl has been perceived in the past as a hateful, misandristic rampage of vulgar violence, but to Worm Shot, Riot Grrrl holds a space that embraces and cherishes “being in a band and expressing yourself” as Hoàng puts it.

One of the most notable issues that Riot Grrrl disapproves of within the music scene is the imbalance of males and females. With such an overwhelming, dominating male crowd, many women feel unsafe or unwelcome to be a part of what they love.

Hoàng thinks back to her early days of being involved in the scene, “It’s always been kind of scary to be in a crowd with boys in it. Especially certain boys, you can tell based on looking at them, ‘Oh, I’m not going to be safe in the crowd.’”

These feelings of exclusion are exactly what Worm Shot is dedicated to steering clear from with their fans, creating an atmosphere in their audience who, as female lovers of music, not only have care-free fun with the girls, but feel safe and included.

Hoàng rocking out on the drums. Photographed at The Holland by Ellyn Pillers 9/5/25.

“I’d feel safe in our crowd,” says Hoàng. “We feel safe and they feel safe with us.” Ultimately, it’s no doubt that any fan of Worm Shot can find their place amongst the many other girls who love punk-rock music.

The underrepresentation of women in the music scene is something that Worm Shot is especially passionate about changing. As one of their eminent missions, they aim to inspire others to expand the presence of female musical artists.

Randall says, “I think that it’s really about bringing more women into music.” Regrettably, it’s undeniable how women are overshadowed by men in all aspects of life, and Worm Shot especially recognizes this in the scene. As such, the only way Worm Shot will be satisfied with the level of female representation in music is if there is an equal amount of both male and female performers, and will accept nothing less.

“If there’s not 50-50 men and women in rock music, then there aren’t enough women, and there aren’t enough women right now,” laments Randall. “It’s not 50-50, so there aren’t enough. So there aren’t enough.”

The amount of women in the music industry has evolved a long way since the birth of the Riot Grrrl Movement, but for Worm Shot, “the project still isn’t done.”

If there is anything that Worm Shot wishes from their fans, it’s for them to have the courage to make their own girl band; to come together with their best friends, to write their own lyrics that tell their stories, to have the confidence to get up on that stage, and to be inspired by Worm Shot and to inspire others to expand the representation and inclusion of women in music.

“I think that the reason why women need to be in music is because our experiences are unique,” Randall expresses. “A man can’t write about what it’s like to be a woman, and I want every kind of woman’s experience to be part of our music.”

In spite of the dark clouds that will appear in the journey of becoming an artist, Worm Shot assures their fans to not be discouraged. Encountering bumps in the road is one of the many things that will come with being in a band: hate, insults, and ridicule. And it’s something Worm Shot has had to overcome.

Luckey looks back on the days before she rose as the lead singer of Worm Shot, hesitant to walk out on the luminous stage basking in the dazzling spotlight. She recalls thinking,“I’m always going to be in the crowd and I’m never going to be on the stage.”

For those in the audience frightened by the idea of one day taking the stage, Luckey reassures, “But you can, and you can do it with people you love and you might get shit on sometimes. But you can. And I want us to be proof of that.”

For Luckey, there is nothing more touching than when girls approach her after a show, moved by the resonance in her voice and her enigmatic stage presence, and she wants nothing more than to influence those girls to find their voice; or guitar, bass guitar, drums, or any other instrument. “If you get anything from this, everybody go start a girl band right now!“

Since the debut of Worm Shot, their numerous released singles, EPs, and albums, they have gained a growing audience of star-struck girls who touch their hearts.

Following in the footsteps of the first Riot Grrrls, Worm Shot flourishes as just one of the many flowers that are lush in the harmonious garden of girl bands that continues to blossom alongside one another in the punk-rock music scene — and their petals are just unfolding.

From left to right: Randall, Luckey, and Hoàng in their natural environment. Photographed at The Holland by Ellyn Pillers 9/5/25.