Visual Kei
Visual kei is a Japanese rock movement defined by its look: elaborate makeup, dramatic hairstyles and flamboyant costumes, often with an androgynous style.
It began in the 1980s with bands influenced by glam rock, heavy metal, punk and goth. The music itself varies widely, from speed metal to pop rock ballads, so the name describes a visual approach and a subculture more than one sound. The name is commonly traced to the X Japan slogan 'Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock'.
Artists it is known for: X Japan, Buck-Tick, Luna Sea, Dir En Grey.
- Family
- J-Pop & Anime
- On Spotify
- A current genre
- What it is
- A scene
- From
- Japan, 1980s
- Also called
- visual-kei, V-kei
- Trackify listeners who play it
- 2%
About 1,600 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have visual kei among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Visual Kei artists
RADWIMPS
Plastic Tree
ONE OK ROCK
BUCK-TICK
gulu gulu
DADAROMA
MEJIBRAY
花冷え。
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
the GazettEThe visual kei artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.