What is "Moshing"?

Moshing is an activity much like slam dancing and pit diving that originated in the punk scene but was adopted by the thrash and crossover metal scenes in the eighties and continues today, especially in the hard-edge black and death metal subgenres. Key early bands that popularized the mosh were Anthrax, who wrote one of the odes to moshing, “Caught in a Mosh,” and also Stormtroopersof Death, led by Billy Milano, who helped popularize moshing in their song “Milano Mosh.” The practice consists of members of the audience coming together in a large area on the concert floor in front of the stage, usually called “the pit,” and ritualistically bouncing off each other in a manner reminiscent of punk slamming, only occasionall quickly back into the audience or try and go for a victory lap onstage until bouncers throw them off again or much worse, they are brought backstage and ejected from the club. For fans, moshing also serves as a form of release, a way of getting rid of aggression, or as a form of catharsis. As William Tsitsos has noted, there is a distinct difference between traditional slam dancing in the early punk scene and the moshing that dominates today, in that “… moshers’ explanations for their dancing tend to focus more on the venting of individual aggression” (Tsitsos 2006, 125). Moshing is mostly a masculine activity, at last in heavy metal where the pits seem to be more aggressive and less inviting to women, who frequently find themselves groped or even attacked by newcomers who do not understand the respectful attitude that is inherent in a successful pit. To this day, for better of worse, the pit continues to be a place to be entered at one’s own risk, and moshing is still prevalent, depending on the scene and the tolerance of the band and the promoters. Rituals vary from scene to scene and band to band, and some bands openly encourage a large and active pit while others try and discourage the practice for insurance and safety issues. The ritualistic act of stage diving often accompanies the moshing, where a fan lucky enough to get up on stage with their favorite band can try and jump.