Visual kei is a movement in Japanese rock music in which the look of the performers is as important as the sound. Bands wear elaborate costumes, dramatic make-up and big hairstyles, often androgynous and drawing on glam rock and punk. The scene took shape in the 1980s with groups such as X Japan, Dead End and Color, and it spread in the 1990s through bands such as Luna Sea, Malice Mizer and L'Arc-en-Ciel. The musical styles range widely, from heavy metal to pop and gothic rock, so that visual kei describes an aesthetic rather than a genre. It gained a following abroad through anime theme songs and music festivals.
Before and after
- from 25 October 1983 to 15 December 19831983 Invasion of Grenada
- 20 November 1983Creation of Turbo Pascal
- 17 December 1983Harrods bombing
- 1984Discovery of hassium
- 1984Rise of visual kei
- 1984Founding of Lenovo
- 1984Establishment of Great Himalayan National Park
- 1984Creation of MATLAB
- 1984Creation of Objective-C
More in Art, literature & culture
- 17 August 1945Publication of Animal Farm
- from 1960 to 1970The Beatles
- 1960Construction of Aswan Dam
- 1978Publication of Garfield
- from 24 September 2007 to 16 May 2019Premiere of The Big Bang Theory
- from 26 January 2021 to 27 November 2023Premiere of Go, Dog. Go!
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.