They reunited in 1998 and released the song "Get the Girl" on the Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, the success of which enabled them to return to touring for the next four years to finance their next record.

The group self-released Doll Revolution through their independent label Down Kiddie Records, which had been largely defunct after releasing their debut single "Getting Out of Hand" in 1981.

Doll Revolution was first released on CD in Europe and Japan in March 2003, and distributed through deals with the EMI subsidiary Liberty Records and Victor.

All tracks were composed or co-written by members of the Bangles, with the exception of "Tear Off Your Own Head," written by Elvis Costello and debuting on his 2002 album When I Was Cruel.

Previous versions of some of the songs were released and performed by band members with other groups they worked with: "Mixed Messages" by Vicki Peterson and "The Rain Song," written by Vicki and Susan Cowsill, both appeared on Continental Drifters albums; while "Ask Me No Questions," written by Debbi Peterson, was released by her band Kindred Spirit.