Raise your Horns High: The True Story Behind Rock’s Most Iconic Hand Gesture

From folklore to festivals, how the devil horns became rock’s signature gesture

If you've ever thrown your hand in the air at a rock concert, index and pinky raised, thumb curled over the middle fingers, you've joined millions in using the most iconic gesture in rock: the devil horns. It's more than a pose. It's a feeling. A rallying cry. A way to say, “Hell yeah, this is our tribe.” But the story behind that sign isn't what you’d expect. It didn't start with Satan. It didn’t even start with rock music.

To find its roots, you have to look past the smoke machines and Marshall stacks, all the way back to old-world superstition. Ronnie James Dio, the front man of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and later his own band, Dio, was the man who brought the gesture into the rock arena. But the symbol wasn’t born on stage, The legend credits his Italian grandmother. In Southern Italian culture, the gesture was known as the malocchio, the "evil eye", a symbol used to ward off bad luck or protect against curses. The hand sign, called the corna, was often thrown at people or situations that seemed to bring misfortune. Dio recalled his grandmother using the gesture whenever she felt suspicious of someone's intentions. To her, it was a way of shielding herself from negativity, like a spiritual armor.

A New Chapter for Sabbath—and for Metal Itself

So when Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath in 1979, he didn’t want to mimic the peace signs Ozzy often flashed on stage. He needed something that was his own. Something that fit the band’s dark aesthetic, but also something meaningful. The horns were a perfect fit. He began using them at shows, gesturing to the crowd as if casting a spell and the audience gave it right back.

Fans saw it, felt it, and adopted it. What was once a regional folk symbol became a global emblem of heavy metal. It spread like wildfire, through fanzines, music videos, and live shows, until it was everywhere. From Slayer to Slipknot, from Metallica to the smallest garage bands, throwing the horns became second nature.

Gene Simmons Tried to Claim It

Of course, it wouldn’t be rock without a little controversy. In 2017, Gene Simmons of KISS attempted to trademark the devil horns, claiming he had popularised the sign back in 1974. The backlash was immediate and fierce. Dio’s widow, Wendy Dio, led the charge, calling the attempt “disgusting” and reminding the world where the gesture really came from. Simmons quickly abandoned the bid, and the fans never let him forget it.

Today, the devil horns aren’t just a hand sign, they're a ritual. A shared understanding between artist and audience. A signal that says, we’re in this together. It’s more than metal. It’s a declaration. It means passion. Rebellion. Respect. Power and a soundless way of a band and crowd to show appreciation.

Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010, but every time the lights go down and the guitars roar to life, and someone raises their horns and his legacy lives on.

So next time you’re at a show, or blasting your favorite record at full volume, throw those horns high. You’re not just making a gesture, you’re keeping the spirit of rock alive.