Definition

A concert or festival audience participation behavior where attendees are lifted and passed over the heads of the crowd toward the front or stage, typically in energetic mosh pits or during climactic moments in a performance.

Example Usage

During the punk band's final song, dozens of fans crowd surfed from the back of the venue to the stage barrier.

Origin

Emerged from punk and alternative rock concert culture in the 1970s-80s as a spontaneous expression of collective energy and abandon at live shows.

Fun Fact

Crowd surfing became so popular at major festivals that venues now hire security specifically to catch and lower down crowd surfers safely, and some artists encourage it as part of their performance experience.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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