The moonwalk is a dance move that gained widespread popularity after being performed by Michael Jackson on the 1983 television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, and has since become his signature move. The correct term for this move is actually the backslide. The purpose of the backslide is to give the illusion that the dancer appears to walk forward while actually moving backward while the actual illusion that a moonwalk gives to the audience is simply that the dancer is walking on the moon. They are two different dance moves that are commonly mistaken for one.

Although he did not invent its mechanics (which were pioneered by Marcel Marceau) and has never claimed to have done so, Michael Jackson came up with the name "moonwalk" and made it one of the most recognizable dance moves in history, often made in direct reference to Michael Jackson.