Colour in Metal: How do people of colour metalheads experience affective belonging within metal culture and how do they enact their identities within it?

Metal music has long been seen as a space for rebellion and outsider identity, but what happens when even the outsiders exclude? This research explores how people of colour (POC) metalheads experience affective belonging within metal culture, and how they enact their identities in spaces that often feel unwelcoming. Using a triangulated qualitative approach -ethnographic participant observation, open-ended interviews, and artifact/social media analysis- this study centres POC voices to uncover both structural and emotional dynamics of exclusion, inclusion, and resistance. Findings show that while explicit racism still exists in extreme subgenres, more subtle forms of gatekeeping, stereotyping, and invisibility shape everyday experiences for POC fans and artists alike. Many respondents described a need to prove their authenticity, suppress parts of their identity, or seek out alternative communities. At the same time, POC-led bands like Zulu, Jesus Piece, and Body Count are reclaiming space in the genre, using music as both resistance and representation. Ultimately, affective belonging in metal is uneven, fragile, and often negotiated through emotional labour. Still, POC metalheads persist, enacting their identities, challenging norms, and reshaping what metal culture can be. They’re not just participating in metal; they’re transforming it.