The band's live performances stood out for Calvin's pogo, hula, and shimmy moves, which he'd seen on news reports about UK punks. It did not ingratiate the band to hardcore audiences when they toured with Fugazi in the late 1980s, and audiences were openly hostile, even throwing an ashtray at the band. Nonetheless, rock critic Michael Azzerrad suggests that Beat Happening "was a major force in widening the idea of a punk rocker from a mohawked guy in a motorcycle jacket to a nerdy girl in a cardigan." The presence of Heather Lewis on drums and Calvin's non-threatening stage presence presented a wider variety of punk identities and genders than other acts in the hardcore scene of the time, which was predominantly male. Beat Happening has been cited as an influence on early riot grrl acts such as Bratmobile and Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill. Kurt Cobain had the K Records logo tattooed on his forearm, saying it was to "try and remind me to stay a child." The song "Lounge Act" on "Nevermind" references his logo tattoo in the line, “I'll arrest myself and wear a shield.” Cobain also played guitar on a K Records release, "Bikini Twilight," with Johnson, released as The Go Team.