Kawaii Metal (かわいいメタル), also known as Kawaiicore or Idol Metal , is a musical genre that originated in Japan in the early 2010s. It is characterized by its principle of juxtaposition, blending the aggressive instrumentation, technical riffs, and heavy bass lines of various Heavy Metal subgenres (such as Power Metal, Death Metal , and Industrial Metal ) with the upbeat, melodic song structures and youthful aesthetics of J-Pop and Idol Music.

Kawaii Metal emerged in 2010 and was pioneered by the highly successful group Babymetal, whose popularity led to the coining of the term and the creation of a recognized subgenre.

The genre is credited to Key ‘Kobametal’ Kobayashi, who conceived the idea of fusing the intensity of heavy metal with the cuteness of Idol singers. Babymetal was initially formed in 2010 as a sub-unit of the idol group Sakura Gakuin. Their 2014 hit, " Gimme Chocolate!! ," went viral internationally, thrusting the concept of Kawaii Metal into global consciousness and establishing the template for the genre: clean, idol vocals over extreme metal instrumentation performed by a live backing band, the Kami Band. Their success challenged traditional notions of metal music and paved the way for other Japanese artists who defied genre conventions.