"Just a Girl" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. The song was released in 1995 and helped the band break into mainstream music, peaking at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Upon release in the UK in 1996 the song only reached number 38. However, after the massive success of "Don't Speak" the song was re-released and managed a peak of number 3.

"Just a Girl" was first aired on the Californian radio show Ska Parade. It was also featured in the movie Clueless and the opening credits of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

After primary songwriter Eric Stefani left No Doubt in 1994, the rest of the band took on the role of songwriters for the band, which dramatically changed the band's musical style. Tragic Kingdom was the first album on which the band had written most of the material and singer Gwen Stefani had written the lyrics, and there were claims that the band had "sold out" - dropped their own style to pick up a more popular one in order to make more money. Tom Dumont explained the change of style in an interview with Backstage Online:

The song itself is written about Gwen Stefani's exasperation over female stereotypes, portraying women as weak and in need of a man to look after them. This is evident from lyrics such as "Don't you think I know / Exactly where I stand? / This world is forcing me / To hold your hand." She explained her inspiration in an interview for BAM Magazine:

"Just a Girl" is a moderately fast song at 108beats per minute and is written in the key of D major. Like the majority of popular music, it is set in common time. The voice of the singer, Gwen Stefani, spans nearly an octave and a half, from B₃ to E₅ in scientific pitch notation. The opening riff that Dumont uses was taken from an earlier effort by keyboardist Eric Stefani. The song is heavily influenced by new wave music, using synth noise from a Roland Jupiter-8, '80s keyboards and effects, and retro sounds.

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