TikTok has taken grasp of the alternative community and put it in a chokehold. This is another case of trend hoppers doing whatever they can to stay up-to-date with the latest fast fashion or music trends.
A trend hopper is someone who dresses in the latest styles to seem popular and receive attention, rather than being themselves. These people tend to only listen to a couple songs from the popular genres, and don’t follow the ideation of the community.
The alternative community has many subgenres, from punk and metalhead, to hippies and lolita. While mostly fashion and music related, certain sections of the alternative community have specific beliefs. For example, it is impossible to be a conservative punk, because being punk is all about having individual freedom and everyone having equal rights. The community is very welcoming, but recently some have come together to deride “TikTok metalheads.” These types of metal fans usually have heard a few songs from famous nu-metal bands (a type of rock music popular from the late 1990s, featuring much of the sound typical of heavy metal but also influenced by rap and hip-hop) like Deftones or Korn, and decide to present themself as a metalhead. When metalhead is mentioned, you should think it means your usual guy who (stereotypically) has long hair, wears metal band shirts and battle vests (vests or jackets covered in patches, spikes, pins, etc.). This has become controversial to many aged metalheads, who have called these people “posers” and even sent death threats to them over their music tastes. However, anyone can be a metalhead, no matter if they listen to one or multiple genres.
While Deftones is an incredible band, from their more calm, almost grungy works to their intense and jarring songs, it may not be the smartest to say they’re the most intense. “Mascara” from the album “Around The Fur” is a good song to listen to if you want to understand their vibe, it’s also one of their most known songs. The entire nu-metal genre is a good starting point for anyone wanting to join the metal community, and labeling people “posers” over a band is uncalled for. While understandably more informed metal listeners don’t enjoy people calling themselves super metal over a more basic genre in the community, everyone has to start with something. From Slayer to Death to even System of a Down, heavy or not, metal is metal, and anyone can enjoy what they want.
