80s Girl Groups
The best-known 80s girl groups are the Go-Go's, the Bangles, Bananarama, the Pointer Sisters, Exposé and Salt-N-Pepa. The decade had every kind: rock bands that played their own instruments, harmony groups, freestyle trios from Miami and New York, and the first female rap crews to sell a million records.
A new kind of girl group
In the 60s, a girl group meant three singers in matching dresses, with songs written and played by men. The 80s broke that model. The Go-Go's and the Bangles wrote their own songs and played every instrument. Bananarama chose their own material and refused to dance the way producers wanted. Salt-N-Pepa and J.J. Fad proved women could sell rap records. This page is part of the 80s bands hub, and every group below plays in the free player above.
Four kinds of 80s girl group
Most groups on this page fit one of four types. The guitar bands came out of punk and new wave: the Go-Go's, the Bangles, Girlschool and the Belle Stars. The vocal groups came from soul and disco: the Pointer Sisters, Sister Sledge and the Weather Girls. Late in the decade, freestyle and dance-pop trios such as Exposé, the Cover Girls and Seduction filled the clubs. And hip-hop gave us Salt-N-Pepa and J.J. Fad.
The labels mattered too. Several of these groups were created by a producer who wrote the songs and picked the members, as Rick James did with the Mary Jane Girls and Prince did with Vanity 6. Others, like the Go-Go's, the Bangles and Klymaxx, formed on their own and fought to be taken seriously as musicians.
For solo women, from Madonna to Tracy Chapman, see our 80s female singers page. Groups are listed roughly in the order their 80s peak arrived. Every song follows our song selection rules.
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's came out of the Los Angeles punk scene and changed history. Beauty and the Beat spent six weeks at No. 1 in 1982, the first No. 1 album by an all-female band that wrote its own songs and played its own instruments. "Our Lips Are Sealed" was co-written by guitarist Jane Wiedlin, and "We Got the Beat" reached No. 2.
Signature tracks: Our Lips Are Sealed, We Got the Beat
Girlschool
Girlschool were a London heavy metal band at a time when almost no women played metal. They toured with Motörhead, and the two bands recorded the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP together, a Top 5 hit in the UK in 1981. "Hit and Run", the title track of their second album, is fast, loud and tough.
Signature tracks: Hit and Run
The Belle Stars
The Belle Stars were a seven-piece band from London, formed out of the ska group the Bodysnatchers. "Sign of the Times" reached No. 3 in the UK in 1983. Their cover of the New Orleans song "Iko Iko" was a small hit in 1982, then found a second life when it was used in the film Rain Man and reached the US Top 20 in 1989.
Signature tracks: Iko Iko
Vanity 6
Prince put this trio together and wrote most of their songs, with Vanity, Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie out front in lingerie. "Nasty Girl" was their only real hit. It was a big R&B and club record in 1982, and its bare, drum-machine funk shows exactly what Prince's Minneapolis sound was about.
Signature tracks: Nasty Girl
The Weather Girls
Martha Wash and Izora Armstead had been backing singers for the disco star Sylvester. Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer wrote "It's Raining Men", and several famous singers turned it down before the duo recorded it. It went to No. 1 on the American dance chart and reached No. 2 in the UK. It has never left the party circuit.
Signature tracks: It's Raining Men
Bananarama
Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey sang in unison, danced in their own casual way and chose their own songs. For years they held the record for the most UK hits by an all-female group. "Cruel Summer" reached the US Top 10 after it was used in The Karate Kid. With producers Stock Aitken Waterman they went pop, and "I Heard a Rumour" reached No. 4 in 1987.
Signature tracks: Cruel Summer, I Heard a Rumour
Mary Jane Girls
Rick James created the Mary Jane Girls, wrote and produced their songs, and gave each singer a character. "All Night Long", from their 1983 debut, was an R&B hit with a slow, rolling groove. It has since been sampled by many hip-hop and R&B acts. "In My House" gave them a pop hit two years later.
Signature tracks: All Night Long
The Pointer Sisters
The Oakland sisters had been recording since the early 70s, and their album Break Out made them bigger than ever. It sold millions and produced four Top 10 singles. "Jump (For My Love)" reached No. 3 in 1984 and won them a Grammy. "Automatic", with Ruth Pointer singing the deep lead, reached No. 5.
Signature tracks: Jump (For My Love), Automatic
Strawberry Switchblade
Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall came from Glasgow's post-punk scene, dressed in polka dots and ribbons. They sang sad words over bright, happy synths. "Since Yesterday" reached No. 5 in the UK in early 1985. They split up soon after, but the song has a cult following to this day.
Signature tracks: Since Yesterday
Sister Sledge
The four sisters from Philadelphia had already made "We Are Family" in 1979. In 1985 a light, doo-wop-flavoured song about an old flame gave them the biggest hit of their career in Britain. "Frankie" spent four weeks at No. 1 in the UK, though it barely charted in America.
Signature tracks: Frankie
Klymaxx
Klymaxx were an all-female funk band from Los Angeles who played their own instruments, led by drummer and singer Bernadette Cooper. The album Meeting in the Ladies Room was their breakthrough. "The Men All Pause" was an R&B hit, and the ballad "I Miss You" reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 in early 1986.
Signature tracks: I Miss You, The Men All Pause
The Bangles
The Bangles came from the Los Angeles "Paisley Underground" scene, and their harmonies came from the 60s. Prince wrote "Manic Monday" for them, and it reached No. 2, held off the top by Prince's own "Kiss". Their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter", made for the film Less Than Zero, also reached No. 2.
Signature tracks: Manic Monday, Hazy Shade of Winter
Exposé
Producer Lewis Martineé built Exposé in Miami, and their debut album Exposure gave them four Top 10 singles. The fast, freestyle "Point of No Return" reached No. 5 in 1987. The ballad "Seasons Change" went to No. 1 early in 1988. They were one of the most successful freestyle acts of the decade.
Signature tracks: Point of No Return, Seasons Change
Company B
Company B were a Miami freestyle trio made by producer Ish Ledesma. "Fascinated" was a big club record in 1987 and reached No. 21 on the Hot 100. Its skipping beat and synth stabs are a textbook example of the freestyle sound, which mixed electro, Latin rhythms and pop melody.
Signature tracks: Fascinated
The Cover Girls
The Cover Girls were the New York answer to Exposé. Their freestyle songs were built for the clubs and the Latin music stations of the city. "Because of You" was their first chart hit in 1987, and they kept a run of hits going into the early 90s.
Signature tracks: Because of You
Mel & Kim
Sisters Mel and Kim Appleby from London made bright dance-pop with producers Stock Aitken Waterman. "Respectable" went to No. 1 in the UK in 1987 and was a club hit in America. Their stutter-edited vocals and house-music beat sounded more like Chicago than most British pop of the time.
Signature tracks: Respectable
Salt-N-Pepa
Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, with DJ Spinderella on the decks, were the first female rap act to go platinum. "Push It" reached the Top 20 in 1988. "Shake Your Thang", made with the go-go band E.U., kept the party going. "Expression" topped the rap chart for weeks and led them into an even bigger 90s.
Signature tracks: Shake Your Thang, Expression
J.J. Fad
J.J. Fad were three women from Los Angeles signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. Dr. Dre and Arabian Prince produced "Supersonic", a fast, fun rap that reached No. 30 in 1988. It was nominated at the first Grammy ceremony to give an award for rap.
Signature tracks: Supersonic
Seduction
Seduction were put together by producers Robert Clivillés and David Cole, who later made C+C Music Factory. Their dance-pop mixed freestyle with house music. "(You're My One and Only) True Love" reached No. 23 in 1989, and "Two to Make It Right" went to No. 2 early the next year.
Signature tracks: (You're My One and Only) True Love
Shakespears Sister
Siobhan Fahey left Bananarama in 1988 and started Shakespears Sister, soon joined by American singer Marcella Detroit. Their sound was darker and stranger than anything Bananarama made. "You're History" reached No. 7 in the UK in 1989, setting up the huge 1992 hit "Stay".
Signature tracks: You're History
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the most successful girl group of the 80s?
In America, the Pointer Sisters and the Bangles had the most big hits, and the Go-Go's had the most important album. In Britain, Bananarama held the record for the most hits by an all-female group.
Did the Go-Go's and the Bangles play their own instruments?
Yes. Both were full bands, with every member playing on the records. The Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat was the first No. 1 album by an all-female band that wrote and played its own songs.
Who were the first female rap groups?
The Sequence, from the Sugar Hill label, released rap records as early as 1979. In the late 80s, Salt-N-Pepa became the first female rap act to go platinum, and J.J. Fad reached the pop Top 40 with "Supersonic".
What happened to the 80s girl groups in the 90s?
Some kept going: Salt-N-Pepa had their biggest hits in the 90s, and the Go-Go's and the Bangles re-formed. New groups like En Vogue, TLC and Wilson Phillips, all of which broke through in 1990 or later, took over the charts.
Are the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Eternal Flame" on this page?
They are on our other pages, so this playlist features different Bangles songs. You can hear every Bangles song we have in the playlist builder.
Last updated: September 25, 2026