Moshing is a style of dance in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed in "aggressive" live music.

Moshing usually happens in the center of the crowd, generally closer to the stage, in an area called the "pit". It is intended to be energetic and full of body contact.

The dance style originated in the hardcore punk scenes of California and Washington, D.C. around 1980.

Through the 1980s it spread to other branches of punk rock as well as thrash metal and grunge, which exposed it to the mainstream.

Since then, moshing has occasionally been performed to energetic music within a wide variety of genres, including alternative rock, and hip hop, while remaining a staple at punk and heavy metal shows.

Variations of moshing exist, including "pogoing", "circle pits", and "wall of death". Dancing can be done alone as well as in groups. Some moshers, known as crowd killers, swing their arms back and forth and move their legs in a rhythmic fashion.

While moshing is seen as a form of positive fan feedback or expression of enjoyment, it has also drawn criticism over dangerous excesses occurring in offshoots.

Injuries have been reported in mosh pits, and a few deaths have occurred in "Wall of Death" moshing, an offshoot that developed when fans at thrash metal shows adopted punk-style slam-dancing.

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