Moshing

A hectic, sometimes very violent, form of dancing usually done at concerts for punk, hardcore, metal or hard rock bands. Usually takes place at the front area of the floor, near the stage, in a crowd of people. When one moshes, a gap in the crowd emerges and somebody runs into the middle wildly flailing or swinging their arms and legs. In some cases people take turns moshing; one person enters the open area and moshes, then goes back to the edge, then another enters and moshes before leaving and making way for another person. However it is more common for many moshers to enter the space at the same time, creating a makeshift pit in the crowd filled with punching, kicking, and swinging of the limbs. Thus this crowd of moshers is called a mosh pit. Mosh pits can vary in size.

NOTE: Mosh pits can be extremely dangrous; countless cases of injuries have occurred in mosh pits. It is very common to be strongly punched or struck in the face when in a mosh pit. When a pit forms near an unwilling concertgoer, they and all others around the edge hold out their elbows and arms in defensive stances in order to create a buffer zone for the pit. And lastly, mosh pits can sometimes form unexpectedly, almost anywhere in a crowd. So fellow concertgoers should constantly take caution to look for them if they don't want to be caught in the middle of the mosh pit.

SEE ALSO: Circle Pit, Wall of Death

John: I was at the Bring Me The Horizon concert last night and sooooo many people were moshing! Eventually the lead singer called out to see a mosh pit and a huge one began to form right in the middle of the crowd.

Eric: Dude, that's insane. Did you get hit?

John: Yeah, at one point I got caught in the middle for a second and somebody punched me right in the face. The concert was still awesome though.

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