22 Makeup Trends That Define the History of Rock + Metal

Here are 22 makeup trends that define the history of rock and metal.

When you think of rock and metal musicians who wear makeup, several bands and genres typically come to mind — KISS, Twisted Sister and black metal. But it’s been a part of heavy music in plenty more, perhaps less-obvious, areas.

Some of the earliest rockers to sport makeup were Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Arthur Brown. In the ’70s, Alice Cooper came out with a creepy jester-puppet look. Of course there was KISS, but there was also David Bowie, followed by glam rockers who adopted a style of makeup to complement their androgynous fashion style.

READ MORE: Before + After – Rockers Who Had Both Long + Short (Or No) Hair 

Throughout the decades, there have been many different artists who either introduced their own unique style or reinvented something that had been done before. One could argue that King Diamond and later bands such as Mayhem and Celtic Frost revived Brown’s style from the “Fire” video.

Makeup, like fashion, is simply another form of artistic expression. To some, it’s for show, and to some, it’s an identity. Scroll through the gallery below to see 22 different trends that we’ve seen, and the artists who’ve adopted them.