Is it possible to be a raider lord? I'm wanting to play a mean character on my next playthrough but it occurs to me that I have not found anything that indicates I could become a raider lord, like maybe instead of settlements I'm creating raider bases. Is there any kind of raider faction that you can join in the game?

Nope there is not.. the closest is the brotherhood of steel.. they are really nothing more than high tech raiders... but no you cannot join/make a raider faction. as cool as that would be.

Nope.

Become a 1 man band raider lord. Wear raider stuff, steal and kill the good folks of the Commonwealth, created settlements to lure in the in suspecting then wipe them out. I'd say build a cell type structure and put them in there, but it doesn't work, did that to Connie Abernathy to stop her from being kidnapped, fast traveled once and she was out gardening again... Lots of ways to be a DIY baddy... Makes me wonder what side the turrets are on if you shoot up a settler??

This is a horrible oversight on Bethesda's part. Such untapped potential in the raider faction. The player could be uniting force that bands all the raider groups together and transforms from a bunch of independent little raider bands into a unified army, ushering in a dark age of slavery, death, and destruction on such a scale the Commonwealth has not seen since the great war of 2077.

that would be epic

Well, the Minutemen quest line is pretty much the same thing.

Either way you're kicking in people's doors shooting them, taking their stuff and patting yourself on the back for a job well done.

It's not a huge mental jump to imagine that the settlers are paying you protection money because you made an example of the people the missions sent you to kill and or you're wiping out startup raider groups who are moving in on your terf.

It would. Sadly Bethesda didn't put that much thought into it.

It is an rpg (debated right now), it takes only a little imagination and you can think of yourself as a raider lord. Compared to some factions you're certainly gruff and unwashed. you dont have to be nice in any or all conversations. At first i didn't want to anger anyone or say the wrong thing but as it doesn't seem to matter what you say you dont have to be such a schmuck and can just tell people you dont care, to get on with it and you're only interested in the money. more of a merc than a raider but pretty close.