The term hairband refers to the bands of the era that used 3700 liters of hairspray on thier hair to make it poof up big like Cinderella, Dokken, Poison and Bon Jovi, Poor Skid Row never had the hairspray happening. Hairbands don't so much refer to the style of music they played as much as the style in which they presented them selves. For the majority thier musical style fell into what was considered glamrock at the time, now heavy metal seems to encompass alot of musical styles that are in catagories to small to keep thier names single. Like glam which was Poison and Dokken..etc and Blues Metal that was Tora-Tora and Great White..etc Then there was metal and thrash and hard rock what for the most part is just bundled into heavy metal now.