Visual Kei

Visual kei (ヴィジュアル系 bijuaru kei^?, lit. "visual style" or "visual system") is a movement among Japanese musicians,^[1][2] that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics.^[3][4] Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock,^[5][6] with its sound usually related to glam rock, punk rock and heavy metal.^{[7][8][9][10]} However other sources state that visual kei is only a fashion, with its unique clothing, make-up and participation in the related subculture being what exemplifies the use of the term.^[11][12][13]

Visual kei emerged in the mid 1980s, pioneered by bands such as X Japan, D'erlanger, Buck-Tick and Color.^[14]

Visual kei has enjoyed popularity among independent underground projects, as well as artists achieving mainstream success, with influences from Western phenomena, such as glam, goth and cyberpunk.^[4][17] The music performed encompasses a large variety of genres, i.e. punk, metal, pop and electronica.^[1][4]