what exactly is "neo visual kei"? I've seen it pop up across a few websites with profiles on vkei artists but haven't really gotten an answer (sorry if this is the wrong place to comment this lol, I just found it interesting)

From what I've gathered, Neo visual kei applies to bands that formed after the 2000s that have more of a lighter visual and focus on Japanese trends. But I could've left out a few details that might've helped

It's bands starting in the 2000s with a modern look and sound that don't adhere to the 90s~early 00s kote kei tendencies of bands on labels like Matina and Key Party.
Personally I would say this started with bands like the GazettE and Nightmare.

timeoflittlebells “Neo visual kei” isn't anything. It's a marketing term that bands or labels or magazines use to try to set themselves from other bands. The term was probably most prevalent around 2005~2010 but you can see it being used in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, even 2020s. And when the term “visual kei” was new and not in wide use, visual kei bands were often referred to as “neo heavy metal” or “neo hard rock” or “neo shock” etc.

We keep it as a tag on vkgy just as a way to mark bands that were called “neo” at some point, but it is truly meaningless and there are no defining features.