To mosh: A way of expressing yourself at an mental rock/punk concert. Almost always done in a "pit" with extremely cool people who you don't even know but they'll look out for you! You get pushed around, shoved, you fall on your ass but it's all in the spirit and you have a f*ckin great time!!!
A concert isn't a concert without getting in a pit!!!
A form of enjoyment at any decent show, however, the best pits are at punk and metal shows, where they actually get some good moshing and don't just jump up and down like idiots at a Fall Out Boy concert. A good mosh pit is an excellent way to let go of all the energy and tension you get at show. In a mosh pit, the participants ram into each other and use their knees, elbows and shoulders to shove and strike. It is considered extremley. important in a mosh pit to pick up anyone that has fallen because the given person could literally die from suffocation or getting trampled. In really good mosh pits, you can be rendered unconcious. People outside of the subcultures that enjoy mosh pits find it scary and unappealing, but they won't ever know the happiness of a good pit.
Basically, a form of dancing which is popular in concerts usually involving punk or metal music. It is an extremely aggressive dance, which is based mainly on pushing, shoving and punching. Although moshing is a very aggressive activity, it is considered paramount in all mosh pits to look after one another. Most people enjoy moshing because of its ability to relieve anger or tension in a safe and healthy way, as well as its ability to allow oneself to obtain a feeling of comradery, which encompasses all those who add whatever they can to the pit.
"That pit at the Dungeon last night was awesome! We were moshing all night, man!"
add to definition:
the word originated in New York in the early 80s. The previous word for the dance was "slam". The origin is probably Yiddish, as is "mish-mosh" - something all mixed up. It was a specific New York Hardcore variation on slamming which went in a circle (usually counter-clockwise with the stage as 12:00). There was a variation to slower, chuggy music called the creepy-crawly. It may have been Jimmy Gestapo (Murphy's Law) himself who coined the word