Editing Moshing (section)

{{short description|Style of dance}}
{{Other uses|Mosh (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox dance
| name             = Moshing
| etymology        = 
| image            = TH - Mosh Pit (5370150223).jpg
| alt              = 
| image_size       = 300px
| caption          = Audience members moshing to American [[thrash metal]] band [[Toxic Holocaust]]
| genre            = 
| signature        = 
| instruments      = 
| year             = 
| origin           = Late 1970s, [[Huntington Beach]] and [[Long Beach]], [[California]], United States
}}
'''Moshing''' (also known as '''slam dancing''' or simply '''slamming''')<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moriarty |first1=Philip |title=When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11}}</ref> is an extreme style of [[dancing]] in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the '''mosh pit''' (or simply '''the pit'''), it is typically performed to aggressive styles of live music such as [[punk rock]] and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].

The dance style originated in the southern California [[hardcore punk]] scene, particularly [[Huntington Beach]] and [[Long Beach]] around 1978. Through the 1980s it spread to the hardcore scenes of [[Washington, D.C., hardcore|Washington, D.C.]], [[Boston hardcore|Boston]] and [[New York hardcore|New York]] where it developed local variants. In New York, the crossover between the city's hardcore scene and its metal scene led to moshing incorporating itself into metal beginning around 1985. In the 1990s, the success of [[grunge]] music led to moshing entering mainstream understanding and soon being incorporated into genres like [[electronic dance music]] and [[hip hop music|hip hop]].

Due to its violence, moshing has been subject to controversy, with a number of concert venues banning the practice, and some musicians being arrested for encouraging it and concertgoers for participating.