I went into “The Punk Singer” having never heard of Kathleen Hanna and left thinking she’s the most fearless, badass woman in the world.

“The Punk Singer,” which premiered at the SXSW film festival and is currently playing at Bijou Metro, chronicles “Riot Grrrl,” the underground feminist punk movement in the early 1990s. The movie depicts the life of Kathleen Hanna, the fearless lead singer of Bikini Kill, her solo lo-fi project alter-ago Julie Ruin, and later, the electro-punk group Le Tigre.

Hanna is a Pacific Northwest native who was born in Portland and attended Evergreen State College, where she began creating feminist art. The film begins with footage of her passionately performing spoken word. Then joking that she started a band because nobody listens to spoken word. Her electrifying performances, which would even make Lady Gaga jealous, show off her radical lyrics, unique high-pitched voice and caustic conversations with the crowd. The film is highly personal and includes footage throughout Hanna’s life and intimate interviews.

Female punk bands are often left off the list of greats, a trend most of the music business unfortunately follows. But Hanna’s influence spans from Nirvana’s hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to Sonic Youth. Hanna empowered women both with her lyrics and actual performances. One ballsy move she is known for is calling all girls in the audience to the front of the stage. The origins of mosh pits lie in punk rock. And in the early ‘90s post-punk scene, concerts were becoming even more aggressive. Hanna faced intense media criticism and death threats from men. Still, she persisted as the bold leader, refusing to speak to the media.

The film itself has awkward B-roll and some poorly framed interviews. But it all fits with Hanna’s whole persona of not giving a fuck. Beauty shots are also plentiful. But by the end of the film, you feel like you know her. Even at her current age of 45, she still looks badass with her black heart shoulder tattoo and golden ring spelling out “Adam,” the name of her former Beastie Boys member husband Adam Horovitz, or Ad-Rock.

Music only truly works when an artist is passionate. Punk rock is at its best when people are angry. Hanna and other third wave feminist post punk rockers were angry and did something about it. Don’t watch this movie to see the most cutting edge music documentary. It’s no “No Direction Home,” and I don’t think Hanna would want it to be. Watch it because Kathleen Hanna is awesome and her story is one that deserves to be widely and fiercely known.