The Rice University Neologisms Database

A fan of The Grateful Dead, a popular rock band. A fan of the band The Grateful Dead. This term has a sort of double meaning because of the band’s association with drug culture: many fans of the band are recreational drug users, and as a result often behave as ‘deadheads’ in the sense of ‘unintelligent people’ while under the influence of various drugs. It also appears to function as a shibboleth to distinguish “serious” fans of the band from “casual” fans. The writer used this term to show his own status as a member of the group of fans. He was evidently proud to be included in this group.