Zines originated in the 1920s with the harlem renaissance, where black authors and activists were writing and distributing "little magazines" to freely express their ideas.

Fanzines and perzines started to crop up with science fiction's growing popularity post great depression. Star Trek was a particularly favored subject matter, and the works created during that time shaped zines into the way we see them today.

With the punk movement of the late 70s, zines became massively popular beause of their accessible nature for the working class. This era of band-centered zines were an important part of punk culture and spread information about the movement.

In the 90s, riot grrrl emerged and zines transformed along with it, allowing women to spread ideas and educate on topics that would not normally be published in the media. Zines gave women an outlet to express themselves and furthered the punk feminist revolution.

In the modern day, Zines are more popular than ever. In 2021, the film Moxie came out, a story centered around a high schooler fighting for equality at her school. There are lots of free zine libraries all over the internet, making zines more accessible than ever before!