In the late ’90s, Monique Powell remembers looking around the Vans Warped Tour and seeing few, if any, other women artists.
“There weren’t any other women artists that I can recall on the 1998 tour, just me,” Powell, frontwoman of the ska-punk band Save Ferris, shared.
At the time, Warped Tour was quickly becoming a cultural institution for punk, emo, ska and alternative music fans.
Launched in 1995 by concert promoter Kevin Lyman, the traveling festival blended punk rock, skate culture and a DIY spirit unlike anything else on the road. Over the next two decades, it became a rite of passage for alternative music fans and a breeding ground for bands ranging from Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance to No Doubt, Paramore and A Day To Remember.
Women have always been part of Warped Tour’s story. But for much of the festival’s early history, they often found themselves outnumbered.
Save Ferris will play at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Save Ferris)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
Winona Fighter will play at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo by Katy Kinnon)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
Save Ferris will play at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Save Ferris)
Kevin Lyman, creator of Warped Tour, is bringing the festival back to the Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
Save Ferris will play at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Save Ferris)
The Vans Warped Tour returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Vans Warped Tour)
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Save Ferris will play at this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which returns to Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach on July 25-26.
(Photo courtesy of Save Ferris)
Powell remembers being one of the only women artists on the 1998 tour, even as women played important roles behind the scenes throughout the festival’s operation.
As Warped Tour grew into one of the most influential festivals in alternative music, it also became the subject of criticism. In the years leading up to its hiatus, artists including Paramore’s Hayley Williams spoke publicly about sexism and misogyny they experienced within the broader music scene.
Now, as Warped Tour prepares to return to Long Beach on July 25-26, many of the women taking its stages say they’re witnessing a different landscape than the one they grew up hearing about.
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“There are definitely more female-fronted bands out there right now,” said Coco Kinnon, frontwoman of Nashville punk trio Winona Fighter. “I also think women are supporting women more instead of being pitted against one another.”
For the band, that shift represents something larger than a festival lineup.
“Any little girl should be able to leave a festival thinking, ‘I can do that,’ or, ‘I can do anything I put my mind to,’” Kinnon said. “I genuinely believe that kind of inspiration comes from seeing strong women onstage and throughout the festival.”
Although the evolution didn’t happen overnight.
In 2004, musician Shira Yevin launched the Shiragirl Stage after initially being denied a performance slot at Warped Tour. What started as an act of determination eventually grew into a platform that showcased hundreds of female artists throughout the festival’s run, helping create space for women in a scene where they were often underrepresented.
More than 20 years later, Yevin’s mission continues through Gritty In Pink, the women-led community platform returning to Warped Tour this year. The organization works to connect women and nonbinary professionals with opportunities throughout the music industry, both onstage and behind the scenes.
Lyman sees those efforts as part of a broader shift happening throughout alternative music.
“When I started promoting shows in the ’80s, there weren’t many female bands,” Lyman said over the phone. “Even when Warped Tour began, we’d ask artists every year, but there simply weren’t that many.”
Today, he sees an entirely different landscape. “Something has really kicked in,” he said. “There are amazing bands, amazing songwriters and amazing players.”
Lyman points to artists such as Winona Fighter, Honey Revenge and Chase Petra as examples of a new generation helping reshape the genre. “Seeing how many women are playing this music and doing it really amazingly well, if I can help give them that platform with what we built, that feels good,” he said.
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According to Lyman, the progress seen today is the result of years of work from artists, advocates and industry professionals pushing for change. “No one person could have made these changes,” he said. “It took enough momentum from enough people pushing for it.”
For Winona Fighter, one of the biggest differences isn’t simply representation, it’s accountability.
“The criticism I grew up hearing wasn’t simply that Warped Tour was male-dominated,” Kinnon said. “It was that there wasn’t enough accountability when bands on the tour committed acts of sexual misconduct toward underage fans.”
The band believes the growing presence of women throughout the festival has helped create a healthier environment.
“With more women involved in the festival and speaking up, there’s less opportunity for those things to be swept under the rug,” Kinnon said.
Powell has witnessed those changes from a unique vantage point. As one of the few women performing on Warped Tour in the late 1990s, she’s now returning to a festival lineup that looks markedly different from the one she remembers.
“It’s definitely become more diverse,” she said. “There are more female-fronted acts, more women musicians and a stronger environment of inclusion and acceptance for everyone.”
For Powell, the fact that Save Ferris continues to draw audiences three decades later speaks to the changing attitudes of younger fans. “The fact that I can still draw crowds 30 years later is a testament to a new generation of fans who simply see good music as good music,” she said.
That new generation has become one of the driving forces behind Warped Tour’s resurgence. Following a five-year hiatus, the festival returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. While nostalgia certainly played a role, Lyman said one of the biggest surprises was how many young fans embraced the festival.
“When we saw how many young people were coming, it wasn’t about nostalgia,” he said. “There’s a groundswell of this music right now.”
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The festival’s roots have long been intertwined with Southern California’s punk and skate scenes, making its return to Long Beach feel like a homecoming of sorts. For Lyman, who got his start working at the now-closed Fender’s Ballroom in Long Beach, the city remains deeply connected to the culture that helped shape Warped Tour in the first place.
For Powell, however, the most meaningful progress may be simpler than any statistic or lineup announcement.
“I hope they experience the joy of simply being treated like a great musician who’s equal to everyone else onstage,” she said when asked what she hopes young women attending or performing at Warped Tour experience. “I don’t want to be seen as a ‘female musician.’ I just want to feel comfortable and accepted by my peers.”
As thousands of fans gather along the Long Beach waterfront later this month, they’ll find a festival still rooted in discovery, community and loud guitars. They’ll also find more women helping shape that community than ever before — as artists, managers, photographers, crew members and industry leaders.
And perhaps somewhere in the crowd, another young girl will see herself reflected onstage for the first time.
For the women helping define Warped Tour’s next chapter, that’s exactly the point.