From their start, Bikini Kill was inextricably linked to riot grrrl and, more than any other song, "Rebel Girl" was that movement's most widely recognized musical expression,[10][11] its "one definitive anthem".

[13] The first version appeared on the split LP that the group shared with fellow riot grrrl band Huggy Bear in early 1993.

Former Runaway and solo artist Joan Jett – an ardent early fan of the band – produced all three songs and provided additional guitar and background vocals.

[22] Charles Aaron credits Hanna's vocal performance as the key ingredient, dazzling in its zigzags "from envy to lust to joy in the space of a verse".

[26] A cover version by singer Craig Owens of Chiodos was released as a digital-only charity single in 2013 to support the Girls Rock Camp Alliance and the Equal Rights Advocates.

Along with other tracks by Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Julie Ruin, "Rebel Girl" is featured in the Kathleen Hanna biopic The Punk Singer (2013) and is included in the film's soundtrack, a digital-only release (2015).

[32] The song is also played in the women's rights documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)[33] and the independent comedy Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007).

"Rebel Girl" is prominently employed in the television series Orange Is the New Black as a kind of theme song for Kate Mulgrew's character, Galina "Red" Reznikov.

[36] In February 2016, political counselor John Podesta tweeted a link to an unofficial, homemade video made by a supporter of Hillary Clinton.

Although the video had not been designed for wide release, Podesta's position as chairperson of the Clinton presidential campaign helped make it go viral.

"[40] The members of Bikini Kill sometimes swapped their instruments for certain songs, but all versions of "Rebel Girl" were recorded with the band's standard arrangement: On the single release, Joan Jett provides additional guitar and backing vocals.