Heavy Metal subculture

metalhead, headbanger, hesher, mosher and heavy, with the term thrasher being used only for fans of trash metal music, which began to differentiate itself from other varieties of metal in the late 80's.

fashion help to encourage a sense of identification within the subculture. However, not all metal fans are “visible members” of the heavy metal subculture. Some metal fans may have short hair and dress in regular clothes.

by a fist with the index and little fingers extended, known as the “devil’s horns”, the "metal fist" and other similar descriptors. This gesture was popularised by Black Sabbath and Dio's vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died in 2010.

to other musical genres. The metal scene, like the rock scene in general, is associated with alcohol, tobacco and drugs. While there are songs that celebrate drinking, smoking/dipping, drug use, gambling, having tattoos and partying, there are also many songs that warn about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, tattoo and drug addictions. The metal fanbase was traditionally white and male in the 1970s, but since the 1980s, more female fans have developed an interest in the style, while popularity and interest continue to grow among African Americans and other groups.

is used to describe "a person who habitually pretends to be something he/she is not," as in, adopting the appearance and clothing style of the metal scene without truly understanding the culture and its music.
Jeffrey Arnett's 1996 book Metalheads: Heavy Metal Music and Adolescent Alienation argues that the heavy metal subculture classifies members into two categories by giving "...acceptance as an authentic metalhead or rejection as a fake, a poseur."