COVER STORY : The 10 Most Likely to Rule Guyville

Here , listed alphabetically, are the female bands or musicians who are making--or are on the verge of making--the most impact in today’s rock music :

Bikini Kill: As leaders of the “riot grrrl” movement, this Olympia, Wash., quartet’s angry lyrics not only lash out against misogyny, chauvinism and violence, but attack the anti-feminine aspects of ‘70s feminism. Bikini Kill overaccentuates and even parodies girlishness--from lunch pails and plastic kiddie barrettes to clipped hairdos and frumpy dresses to such gestures as scrawling slut across their bare midriffs. “These are my ruby red lips, the better to suck you dry/ These are my long, red nails, the better to scratch out your eyes,” singer Kathleen Hanna rails in their second full independent album, “Pussy Whipped.”

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Breeders: The Breeders, headed by singer-guitarist Kim Deal (formerly of the Pixies), write and perform liquid, smooth pop songs that defy normality with a spacey, experimental edge. On the group’s second album, “Last Splash,” Deal and her twin sister, Kelley, top the songs with husky yet smooth harmonies that are both seductive and surreal. The lyrics are often nonsensical, used more for their sonic wordplay than to convey any particular thought. Kim’s deep, breathy voice, like a post-punk Peggy Lee, gives the word sexy a new twist without even trying.

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PJ Harvey: When Polly Jean Harvey hisses the words “Lick my legs, I’m on fire” in the title song of her critically acclaimed 1993 album “Rid of Me,” she lays her emotions on a platter for all the world to see. Her words are raw, her Patti Smith-inspired vocal delivery dramatic and her backing music abrasive, minimal and arty. Harvey, who also plays guitar, creates an overall sound that is difficult, and the listener comes away disturbed by her intense outpourings. One of the few English women with such an individual and powerful style.

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Juliana Hatfield: This MTV darling plays the familiar weak and waif-like role that women traditionally have been trapped in. On “Become What You Are,” the 26-year-old Boston native’s major-label debut, she slides further into pop mediocrity, coming off as a wispy, doll-like creature with little to say. Though she’s been marketed as an “alternative” act, she’s more like a submissive pin-up in the tradition of the post-Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle.

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Kristin Hersh: As the leader of Throwing Muses, Hersh started one of the most respected bands in the arty underground scene. On her solo debut, “Hips and Makers,” Hersh proves her creativity can thrive outside the parameters of her old band. The Providence, R.I., native’s intricate and often subdued tunes are unexpectedly powerful, and her crystalline vocals often pack more Angst than half of Seattle’s grunge scene. Her unique style shows there is power in grace and subtlety.

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Hole: Hole has brains, guts, emotion and sensitivity. The quartet’s new major-label debut, “Live Through This,” features Courtney Love’s sharp insight and wrenched feelings against music that’s alternately driving and sullen, displaying the confusion Love has faced as a flamboyant and intelligent woman. After two years of scrutiny by the press for her turbulent lifestyle (she is married to Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain) and brash philosophies, Love bursts wide open the boundaries of “acceptable, ladylike behavior.”

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L7: This L.A. quartet made it big with its 1992 major-label debut, “Bricks Are Heavy,” and brought the issue of reproductive rights to a rock audience with its benefit concert series, “Rock for Choice.” But beyond its politics, you never get a sense of who this band is. Its macho posturing suggests that the band views its gender as a weakness to be concealed. And the group’s formerly rough and gritty sound has been toned down into traditional bad-girl pop; as a result, its original potential is smothered.

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Luscious Jackson The group rose out of New York City’s hard-core scene as a sort of post-punk hip-hop outfit in the vein of the Beastie Boys. Signed to the Beasties’ Grand Royal label, the female quartet mixes distorted hip-hop beats and sings more than it raps. The group has gained attention with its debut album, “In Search of Manny,” which establishes them as one of the only female bands to fuse bohemian rock and rap. This debut is often too laid-back and cool to ignite or throw sparks, but it shows potential.

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Liz Phair: On last year’s debut album, “Exile in Guyville,” Phair took the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” and twisted the album’s macho posturing around on itself by inserting her own philosophies inside the classic album’s song structures. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter’s candid lyrics about sex and passsive-aggressive attitude are often taken as ironic by women and threatening but enticing by men. What’s often overlooked is her witty portrayal of the everyday. Phair’s subtle manipulation of her milk-and-honey looks also adds to the many contradictions that fuel her unassuming music and appeal.

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7 Year Bitch: One of the first all-female bands to break out of the largely male Seattle scene and stand on its own. Recently signed to Atlantic records, 7 Year Bitch follows in the footsteps of the ultra-heavy and abrasive Babes in Toyland, but mixes the maniacal noise with the solid beat of bands such as AC/DC. Singer Selene Vigil’s lyrics range from her personal experience with abortion to the pointed sentiment “dead men don’t rape.” Though hardly thinking-woman’s rock, it carries a lot of impact.