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| Visual kei | |
|---|---|
 Fans cosplaying as members of visual kei band Malice Mizer | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s, Japan |
| Subgenres | |
| Eroguro kei | |
| Local scenes | |
| Nagoya | |
| Other topics | |
Visual kei (Japanese: ヴィジュアル系 or ビジュアル系, Hepburn: Vijuaru kei or Bijuaru kei, lit. "Visual Style"[1][2]), abbreviated v-kei (V系, bui kei), is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of Bounce wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it "revolves around the creation of a band's unique worldview and/or stylistic beauty through visual expressions in the form of makeup and fashion".[3] While visual kei acts can be of any music genre, it originated with bands influenced by glam rock, heavy metal, punk rock and gothic rock.
Visual kei was pioneered by groups such as X Japan, Dead End, Buck-Tick, D'erlanger, and Color, and gained further notoriety in the 1990s through the success of groups like Luna Sea, Glay, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and Malice Mizer. The movement's success continued through the 2000s with Gackt and more musically broad bands such as Dir En Grey, the Gazette, Alice Nine, Girugamesh, and Versailles, a period which some critics term "neo-visual kei" (ネオ・ヴィジュアル系). Many acts tone-down their appearance upon achieving mainstream success, calling into question whether they are still to be considered visual kei.
- ^ Pfeifle 2013, pp. 75.
- ^ Kristen Sollee (25 June 2006). "Japanese Rock on NPR". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
It's a style of dress, there's a lot of costuming and make up and it's uniquely Japanese because it goes back to ancient Japan. Men would often wear women's clothing...
- ^ Koji Dejima. "Bounce Di(s)ctionary Number 13 – Visual Kei". Bounce (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2007.