A VJ is a performance artist who creates moving visual art (often video) on large displays or screens, often at events such as concerts, nightclubs and music festivals, and usually in conjunction with other performance art. This results in a live, multimedia performance that can include music, actors or dancers as well as live and pre-recorded video.

The term VJ originates from a parallel with the term Disc Jockey or DJs, although most VJs nowadays have more in common with musicians than with DJs.

A VJ manipulates video in much the same way that a DJ mixes records. The techniques and equipment vary but the basic principles remain the same (e.g. selecting, cross fading, scratching, cutting and sampling a rhythm). Some VJs concentrate on just visuals, mixing and manipulating video or film, to create stunning projections. Other VJs use both sound and vision, mixing audiovisual samples to create whole collages or AV sets.

"What is VJing? It means improvising with visuals, specifically those rendered via projected light. The expression originally referred to the Video Jockey (as a counterpart to the disk jockey), but its more accurately Visuals Jockey - a general descriptor that encompasses older, non-video avocations such as 'running the lightshow'" - The VJ Book

"VJs have become an essential part of the clubbing experience. They provide the projected visuals within the club environment that accompany the DJ, mixing and scratching video in a similar way to how DJs cut up records" - VJ Starting Out

"VJ allows audio visual artists to research and resample mainstream audio visual culture, without the limitations often imposed by the more mainstream media legislations. A platform where VJ's are free to explore and express the power of Audio visual communication directly with their audience, while bypassing control bodies and other media organisations" - VJ Azart