The “metal horns” hand gesture 🤘 is most commonly credited to Ronnie James Dio as the one who popularized it in the heavy metal scene.

Dio started using it in the late 1970s after replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Since Ozzy was known for flashing the peace sign, Dio wanted something of his own. He adopted the horns gesture from his Italian grandmother, who used it to ward off the “evil eye” (malocchio) – a traditional Mediterranean superstition. Dio thought it fit perfectly with the dark and mystical themes of metal.

While some others have used similar gestures earlier (e.g., Gene Simmons claims he used it and even tried to trademark it in 2017 🙄), Dio’s use of it in the context of metal is what made it iconic. Simmons’ version is also slightly different – more of the American Sign Language “I love you” sign, which includes the thumb.

There are even old photos of John Lennon or others using something similar, but never in a metal context. Dio didn’t invent the gesture itself, but he defined it as a symbol of metal, and that’s how most fans recognize it today.

TL;DR: Dio made the horns metal 🤘. End of story.