Visual Kei (V-kei) is an umbrella term for a niche alternative subculture that emerged in the late 1980s to early 2000s Japan. Although music is a big part of the culture, Visual kei is mainly defined by an extravagant aesthetic and fashion influenced by gothic, metalhead, punk and new romantic clothing styles in an effort to stand out from other music groups. Ironically, trending elements include elaborate costumes, leather, exaggerated makeup and often an androgynous or more feminine appearance by male performers especially. Dramatic stage presence is crucial to a performance. Black, grey, red, purple and blue are the most common color palettes.
Visual kei translating to “visual style” as coined by a magazine reviewing vkei pioneer band X-JAPAN’s slogan, "Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock”, leaves room for more variation in terms of music style. Visual kei music encompasses many genres including hard rock, heavy metal, industrial, neoclassical, pop, etc.
A good introduction into the music genre to dive into would be the four big artists known within the Visual Kei community. This includes Shazna, Malice Mizer, La'cryma Christi and Fanatic Crisis.