Laura Jane Grace

A trailblazing figure in the history of rock & roll, Laura Jane Grace is one of the first transgender rock stars. Grace fronted Against Me!, a politically charged neo-punk band based in Florida, when she revealed she was transgender. She chronicled her experiences on Against Me!'s 2014 album Transgender Dysphoria Blues, a record that elevated her cultural presence beyond the punk circles she'd previously dominated. Grace seized upon the opportunities offered by her elevated profile, writing the memoir Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout in 2016 and launching a second band, the Devouring Mothers, in 2018. Her first solo album, 2020's Stay Alive, kick-started a period of activity that included 2021's At War with the Silverfish EP and Hole in My Head, a lean, nervy folk-punk record from 2024. Another EP, Give an Inch, introduced a new backing band, the Mississippi Medicals, the same year.