Heavy metal fans, widely known as Metalheads or headbangers, cultivate a distinct subculture around their music, affirming membership through attending concerts, collecting albums, and adopting specific fashion like long hair and denim/leather jackets adorned with band patches. While traditionally a working-class, white, and male demographic in the 1970s, the scene has broadened considerably since the 1980s to include more female fans, African Americans, and other groups. Deena Weinstein characterizes it as a "subculture of alienation," an intense, often marginalized community united by shared values and a strong masculine identity. Central to this is a "code of authenticity" that demands bands prioritize artistic integrity over commercial appeal, express opposition to established authority, and display unwavering loyalty to the subculture. Performers are expected to be "idealized representatives" of this community, with concerts serving as vital rituals of solidarity.