5 Women Guitarists Redefining Rock Right Now

This is about the wild story of Kiki Wong, who went from posting shred clips online to beating out roughly 10,000 hopefuls and landing the touring guitar gig with the Smashing Pumpkins. A pure modern fairy tale.

And she is not a one off. There is a whole wave of women rewriting what lead guitar looks and sounds like. Here are 5 redefining rock right now. Let's gooooo!

Watch the video: From TikTok Shredder to Smashing Pumpkin: Kiki Wong and subscribe on the Rock with PJ Pat channel for more rock breakdowns.

1. Nita Strauss

Nita Strauss is the closest thing modern rock has to a guitar hero in the classic sense. She built a name as a shredder, became Alice Cooper's touring guitarist, and then did the rare thing of launching a genuinely successful instrumental solo career on top of it. She plays with the speed and flash of the 80s greats but a totally modern feel, and she has become a role model for a generation of players who never saw someone who looked like them up front ripping solos. A flat out monster.

2. Orianthi

Orianthi was handpicked by Michael Jackson to be the lead guitarist for his This Is It comeback shows, which is about the highest endorsement a player can get. Since then she has worked with Alice Cooper and built a strong solo catalog. She blends bluesy feel with real technical chops, the kind of player who can shred but chooses taste first. Proof that being a great guitarist is about the whole package, not just the fast parts.

3. Lzzy Hale

As the frontwoman and guitarist of Halestorm, Lzzy Hale has spent two decades proving you can sing like a powerhouse and sling a Gibson at the same time. She became the first woman to be named a Gibson brand ambassador, a huge deal in a world that has not always made room. Her riffs are big, her stage presence is bigger, and she has used every bit of her platform to push hard rock toward being more open to everyone.

4. St. Vincent

Annie Clark, who records as St. Vincent, is the art rock wildcard of this list, and she might be the most influential. She plays jagged, alien, instantly recognizable guitar, won major awards, and even got her own signature guitar designed around a woman's body and playing style, which was startlingly overdue. She treats the guitar like a sound design tool, not just a riff machine, and she has expanded what the instrument can even do in a song.

5. Brittany Howard

As the voice and guitar of Alabama Shakes and now a bold solo artist, Brittany Howard plays with raw, soulful fire that connects straight back to the roots of rock and roll. Her tone is gritty and human, her solos feel ripped out rather than practiced, and she has pulled a whole audience back toward guitar driven music built on feeling. She is a reminder that redefining rock is not only about speed. Sometimes it is about pure soul.

More on What Rocks: 5 Legendary Guitars Rock Heroes Built or Hacked Themselves, Strat vs Les Paul, and The Most Underrated Rock Band.

This is the list of 5 women redefining rock guitar right now, from Nita Strauss shredding arenas to Brittany Howard pouring out soul. Kiki Wong joining the Smashing Pumpkins is not a fluke. It is the sound of the guitar world finally catching up. The future of rock guitar is wide open, and that is a great thing.

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PJ Pat