The label "gross-out movie" was first applied by the mainstream media to 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House,[6] a comedy about the fraternity experience at US colleges.
The prime examples of the above are the stage version of the contemporary drama Trainspotting by bestselling playwright and author Irvine Welsh; the controversial New York musical Urinetown by Kotis and Hollmann; the outrageous anarchistic schlockomedy (shock horror comedy) musical about a Manchester jobcentre Restart by Komedy Kollective;[7] and performances by another United Kingdom-based act, Forced Entertainment, who devised the iconic theatrical gorefest Bloody Mess.
Various artists helped create a flourishing gross-out art scene, which began mainly in the 1990s, the most famous of which were Damien Hirst, known for encasing mutilated, rotting cattle in formaldehyde, and making art of endangered marine species such as sharks in formaldehyde tanks, and Tracey Emin, whose exhibit of an unmade bed featured used tampons, condoms and blood-stained underwear.
Gross out themes are common in popular music genres, such as hip hop and hard rock, where shock value helps create notoriety.
GG Allin was infamous for his transgressive music act, which included eating excrement, mutilating himself and attacking audience members.