During the 2000s, McGowan became known to television audiences for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB supernatural drama series Charmed (2001–2006), and starred in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's double-feature film Grindhouse (2007). In 2014, she made her directorial debut with the short film Dawn, and appeared in the action-thriller series Chosen.
A feminist activist, McGowan has released a memoir, Brave, and starred in the four-part documentary series Citizen Rose, both in 2018. In 2017, Time recognised her as one of the Silence Breakers, the magazine's Person of the Year, for speaking out about sexual assault and harassment.