How does emotional arousal theory contribute to the continued popularity of heavy metal and the proliferation of fan communities?
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The heavy metal community is, unfortunately, one of the most negatively stigmatized subgroups in not just music, but in all of media. From the PMRC’s “satanic panic” congressional hearings of the 1980s to urban legends about Swedish black metal bands burning down churches, the average media consumer most likely has a less-than-favorable image of the community and those who identify as being part of it. Indeed, a 2019 study from the University of New South Wales in Australia showed that general audiences associated negative emotions and arousal responses (fear, anger, disgust, etc.) with genres like metal and hip-hop without even considering the lyrical content of the songs they were shown- most of which was positive in nature. (Susino 10) The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of the general public just can’t get past the sonic aesthetic of the genre to engage with it on a deeper, more analytic level. Some groups choose to wear this reputation of being an “acquired taste” as a badge of honor, making music that’s purposefully shocking, experimental, or otherwise challenging for all but the most tapped-in, experienced listeners of the genre to enjoy. (Kabak)
With this in mind, one might expect heavy metal communities to be in serious popular decline in 2025, given the diminished cultural relevance of rock music and the fact that many of the genre’s founders have either retired or died. However, it seems the opposite is true- in 2025, Live Nation reported that they’re selling more tickets to metal shows than ever, and that metal ticket sales had increased by 14% from 2024. Not only this, but newer bands such as Ghost, Bad Omens, and Spiritbox are seeing just as much traction as “legacy” acts like Metallica and Korn, suggesting that younger people are not simply digging into established artists’ back catalogues and getting invested, but championing newer bands’ efforts to keep the genre alive. (Durden) All signs should point to metal being a dying genre- but it’s thriving. Why might this be- and more importantly, how does emotional arousal theory factor into it?
Photo: Camilo Jimenez
We are living in an age when visibly expressing emotion comes at an all-time high risk. Almost everyone has a phone with a camera in their pocket, ready to film- and often, those cameras get trained on random people expressing emotion in a way that the camera’s operator deems funny, strange, or “cringe.” So often, we see stories of random people being thrust into social media’s spotlight because they were expressing their emotions too visibly; a particularly infamous case came in 2023, where 64-year-old British man Michael Peacock was mocked relentlessly simply for dancing a bit strangely in a London club- a place that should theoretically be a safe space specifically for dancing. (Okundaye) This new age of public shaming discourages the public at large from getting in touch with their emotions and, for lack of a better term, “feeling their feelings.” With this in mind, is it any surprise that an ever-increasing number of people are being diagnosed with anxiety disorders? (Connors) As a society, we have created a panopticon of public shaming and are acting surprised that it’s working as intended.
It is my position that the heavy metal community acts as one of the last true safe spaces in which its members can experience every part of the process of emotional arousal- finding a powerful stimulus, experiencing powerful emotions, and channeling that emotion into a large, physical response- without fear of judgement or social reprisal.
Metal is an inherently emotional genre of music. Lyrical themes of internal rage, alienation, depression, struggles with violent urges, frustration with government and religion, and euphoria at being surrounded by fellow metalheads are all extremely common in the genre, and for good reason- these artists know their audience. A 2015 study concluded that the main reason metal fans listen to the genre is to find art and stimuli that match their own internal emotions, be they positive or negative in nature. An angry or sad metalhead will seek out angry or sad metal songs to regulate and quench their internal struggles, while a happy one will seek out positive or exciting metal songs to enhance their already positive disposition. (Sharman 10) In this sense, the music is acting almost as an enhancer to the process of emotional arousal, intensifying the listener’s internal emotions and preparing them for an immense physical release.
Photo: Evgeniy Smersh
This physical release can manifest in several different ways, though the most common is through the physical traditions and demonstrations most common at metal concerts: head banging, moshing, crowd surfing, and so on. Elsewhere on this site, you can read more about these traditions and how they relate to emotional arousal theory in more depth. Though these traditions are physically active and violent, they are practiced in the spirit of community and love. To wit: the first thing any budding metalhead learns when going to their first show is that if someone falls in the pit, you stop what you’re doing and help them up, a practice that research has proven is followed closely by the community at large. (Wildberger 10) The emphasis is not on inflicting harm on others in the pit, but having a safe, controlled, community-sanctioned place to process those emotional arousals. This social contract is present across almost all aspects of the metal community’s traditions and group behaviors: the inherent trust in your fellow concertgoers to carry you while crowd surfing, an increased acceptance for wild and deviant fashion choices, and an increased rejection of the racism and bigotry that has infected some dark corners of the metal scene over the years. (Kelly) These displays are not meant to repel and harm, they are meant to uplift and express emotions- emotions that are validated and fed by the lyrical and instrumental content of the music being celebrated. A metal show is a place where everyone, regardless of who they are, can come and release their emotional arousals without fear or hesitation.
This freedom leads to something of a feedback loop in which the crowd’s dedication to the music and visible displays of emotional arousal inspire the very bands that sparked those emotions to begin with, resulting in a significant number of popular metal songs about emotional arousal and the fervent nature of metal crowds. I’ve curated a list of some of them on this site, but even without that guidance, listening to the genre for even a trivial length of time would likely put at least one of these songs on your radar. These songs not only serve as ideal stimuli for releasing emotional arousals, but show the artists’ love and appreciation for their fans’ excitement and willingness to express their emotions in a public venue. If there exists any clearer evidence that metal is the genre of music through which emotional arousal theory is most visible at work, I haven’t found it.
This judgement-free, emotions-first ethos only grows stronger as more and more of the genre’s leading artists implement policies at their show which restrict the use of phones, thereby reducing the fear of being unknowingly filmed for laughs on social media discussed earlier. From legacy bands like Iron Maiden to newcomers like Ghost, bands have either heavily discouraged phone use at concerts or outright banned it. (Jenke) The exact reasons are varied- some have cited a desire for concertgoers to “live in the moment” and not be beholden to recording their experiences for social media, while others seek to keep elaborate stage production and setlists under wraps so that later shows on the tour aren’t as easily “spoiled” for what to expect. Regardless of the stated reason for these policies, though, a knock-on effect is that people will be at an even lesser risk of being shamed for expressing their emotions and letting their emotional arousals out. To some, it may seem technophobic and backward, but these policies represent real potential for the reduction of harmful, antisocial trends among concertgoers.
Through fostering a low-judgement environment where collateral damage from exuberant emotional arousal is minimized, the heavy metal community has become one of society’s last true bastions of emotional freedom. Free of the watchful eyes of phone cameras and protected from harm by a widely-followed code of honor and ethics among fans, it is a community in which people are encouraged to feel their emotions as strongly as they like and let the resulting arousals be known to all.
Citations
Connors, E. (2024, May 1). American Adults Express Increasing Anxiousness in Annual Poll; Stress and Sleep Are Key Factors Imp. American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/annual-poll-adults-express-increasing-anxiousness
Durden, B. (2025, July 29). Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Are Dominating the 2025 Live Music Landscape. The Nu Metal Agenda. https://numetalagenda.com/news/story/hard-rock-and-heavy-metal-are-dominating-the-2025-live-music-landscape/
Jenke, T. (2025, June 2). Iron Maiden’s Manager Renews Plea for Limited Phone Use During Gigs. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/iron-maiden-manager-renews-plea-limited-filming-during-gigs-1235987013/
Kabak, Z. (2025, February 19). Why Do People Hate Metal Music? Metalhead Zone. https://metalheadzone.com/why-do-people-hate-metal-music/
Kelly, K. (2018, June 22). There’s No Room In Metal for Racists, Abusers, and Bigots. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/theres-no-room-in-metal-for-racists-abusers-and-bigots/
Okundaye, J. (2023, January 25). Why it’s time to stop filming strangers in public for social media thrills. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/25/filming-strangers-public-social-media
Sharman, L., & Dingle, G. A. (2015). Extreme Metal Music and Anger Processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9(272). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00272
Susino, M., & Schubert, E. (2019). Negative Emotion Responses to Heavy-Metal and Hip-Hop Music with Positive Lyrics. Empirical Musicology Review, 14(1-2), 2. https://doi.org/10.18061/emr.v14i1-2.6376
Wildberger, J., & Farreras, I. (2016). Helping behavior in heavy metal concerts. Modern Psychological Studies, 22(1), 11. https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol22/iss1/11/?utm_source=scholar.utc.edu%2Fmps%2Fvol22%2Fiss1%2F11&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages