Carrie Rachel Brownstein[5] (born September 27, 1974) is an American musician, actress, writer, director, and comedian.

"[12] After high school, Brownstein attended Western Washington University before transferring to The Evergreen State College.

In 1997, Brownstein graduated from Evergreen with an emphasis on sociolinguistics[13] and stayed in Olympia, Washington, for three years before moving to Portland, Oregon.

[14] While attending Evergreen, Brownstein met fellow students Corin Tucker, Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, and Becca Albee.

With Tucker, she formed the band Sleater-Kinney as a side project and later released the split single Free to Fight with Cypher in the Snow.

They recorded their first self-titled album in early 1994 during a trip to Australia, where the pair were celebrating Tucker's graduation from Evergreen[16][17] (Brownstein still had three years of college left).

[18] On October 20, 2014, Brownstein announced on Twitter that Sleater-Kinney would be releasing a new album, No Cities to Love, on January 20, 2015, and would tour in early 2015.

[23] In summer 2009, Brownstein and Weiss worked together on songs (produced by Tucker Martine) for the soundtrack of the documentary film !Women Art Revolution by Lynn Hershman Leeson.

From dancing around to Michael Jackson and Madonna as a kid to having my mind blown by the first sounds of punk and indie rock, to getting to play my own songs and have people listen, music is what got me through.

[29] In 2006, Brownstein was the only woman to earn a spot in the Rolling Stone readers' list of the 25 "Most Underrated Guitarists of All-Time".

"[27] In March 2009, Brownstein was contracted to write a book to "describe the dramatically changing dynamic between music fan and performer, from the birth of the iPod and the death of the record store to the emergence of the 'you be the star' culture of American Idol and the ensuing dilution of rock mystique";[35] The book, called The Sound of Where You Are,[36] was planned to be published by Ecco/HarperCollins.

Brownstein and Fred Armisen published several video skits as part of a comedy duo called "ThunderAnt.

[44] After their ThunderAnt videos, Brownstein and Armisen developed Portlandia, a sketch comedy show shot on location in Portland, for the Independent Film Channel.

[50][51] In 2015, Brownstein portrayed Genevieve Cantrell in the Todd Haynes film Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt.

[55] Brownstein has also appeared as a guest on Saturday Night Live,[56] Curb Your Enthusiasm,[57] and Man Seeking Woman,[58] among other shows.

The article discussed the fact that she had dated bandmate Corin Tucker in the beginning of Sleater-Kinney (the song "One More Hour" is about their break-up).

'"[62] In a 2020 article, the Los Angeles Times noted that Brownstein and Annie Clark (who performs as St. Vincent) "dated years ago.