Icons of Rock
From basement shows to stadium stages, these are the artists who’ve given us anthems, attitudes, and the kind of representation you can turn up to 11. They’ve made queerness loud, visible, and impossible to ignore—blending grit with glamour, politics with hooks, and intimacy with rebellion.
This isn’t just a playlist—it’s a lineage. These are the voices that cracked open the door (or kicked it clean off its hinges) for queer expression in rock, punk, folk, and pop. Whether they were screaming in the pit, crooning by the campfire, or serving alien royalty realness, they made space for all of us to take up a little more volume.Plug in. Press play. Pay respect.
Listen to The Icons Spotify Playlist now.
I don’t want no one to squeeze me, they might take away my life. I just want someone to hold me, oh and rock me through the night.
- TRACY CHAPMAN
The soundtrack to a thousand queer road trips, Tracy Chapman’s soulful, razor-quiet folk has always been a protest wrapped in poetry. Fiercely private, her voice still speaks volumes—about love, justice, and living life on your own terms.
Songs to Listen to: Fast Car, Give Me One Reason, Talkin’ ’Bout a Revolution, Crossroads
Sometimes that's what it takes, to know you're alive.
- TEAM DRESCH
A shot of queercore adrenaline, Team Dresch wrote the rulebook for lesbian punk in the ‘90s—screaming out love, rage, and that unmistakable thrill of finding your people in the pit.
Songs to Listen to: She’s Amazing, Personal Best, Fake Fight, Freewheel
I am not a pretty girl, that is not what I do. I ain't no damsel in distress, and I don't need to be rescued.
- ANI DIFRANCO
Folk-punk’s patron saint of DIY, Ani DiFranco has been raging against the machine (and occasionally the patriarchy’s bad guitar riffs) for over three decades. Her music and activism are equally unflinching—proof that independence is a lifelong love affair.
Songs to Listen to: As Is, Gravel, I’m Not A Pretty Girl, 32 Flavors
For a heart that is broken makes a beautiful sound.
- BRANDI CARLILE
Country-folk’s great queer heart, Brandi Carlile builds her songs like front porch confessions—raw, honest, and built to last. She’s as likely to be raising her voice for justice as she is harmonizing with her wife and kids in tow.
Songs to Listen to: The Story, The Joke, Party of One, That Wasn’t Me
She can be mad but they'll let her know. The scorched earth allows nothing to grow...
- SLEATER-KINNEY
Riot grrrl royalty turned one of America’s most essential rock bands, Sleater-Kinney make guitar-driven battle cries for survival, grief, and queer joy. Whether in the sweaty Olympia basements of the ‘90s or on today’s biggest stages, they’ve never lost their bite.
Songs to Listen to: Dig Me Out, Good Things, Hunt You Down, Needlessly Wild
Feminists, we’re calling you. Please report to the front desk.
- JD SAMSON (LE TIGRE)
Electro-feminist architect of Le Tigre’s infectious beats, JD Samson has been queering dancefloors and art spaces since the ‘90s. She’s proof that a good hook and a political agenda aren’t mutually exclusive—they’re unstoppable together.
Songs to Listen to: Dyke March, Deceptacon, Viz
You bought me some flowers, I gave them to someone else.
- LOLA YOUNG
London’s smoky-voiced soul-pop phenom, Lola Young has a knack for turning bad decisions into irresistibly catchy heartbreakers. Rising fast, she’s already rewriting what pop stardom looks like.
Songs to Listen to: Messy, You Noticed, Big Brown Eyes, Wish You Were Dead
Good thing I’m no desert flower, I can take more than a little rain.
- JULIEN BAKER
Julien Baker’s whisper-to-a-wail storytelling digs deep into faith, queerness, and the ache of being human. Whether solo or with boygenius, she turns confession into communion.
Songs to Listen to: Appointments, Claws in Your Back, Hardline, Something
I like lipstick on my neck...it let me know I’m your number one select.
- JANELLE MONÁE
Janelle Monáe is the high priestess of Afrofuturist pop—blurring gender, bending genres, and building utopias on the dancefloor. A nonbinary icon and pansexual dream, she’s living proof that the future is queer, and it’s dressed to kill.
Songs to Listen to: Pynk, Lipstick Lover, Make Me Feel, So Afraid, Paid in Pleasure
Oh I will love you like a millionaire living on a dollar a day.
- BETH DITTO
Beth Ditto is the powerhouse frontperson behind dance-punk act Gossip. She’s known for her raw, bluesy vocals and her fierce body-positive, queer-proud advocacy. An Arkansas native who settled in Portland, she’s used her music and fashion to challenge norms and celebrate unapologetic queerness.
Songs to Listen to: Standing in the Way of Control, Listen Up!, Fire
