If you were in New York last week and saw a bunch of glammed-up superfreaks wandering the streets around Radio City Music Hall with lightning bolts painted across their eyes and ridiculously complicated shoes, you might have guessed that Lady Gaga was in town. But in addition to their sartorial tips of the lace mask to their disco duchess, Gaga's "Monsters" have a secret signifier that allows fellow beasties to recognize each other no matter where they are. It's called the "Monster Claw."

The gnarled, palsied hand sign is the international symbol of the Gaga Nation, featured prominently in the singer's "Bad Romance" video and sprinkled liberally throughout the current Monster Ball tour. Gaga took every opportunity during the show to flash the sign and her fans eagerly whipped their twisted digits up in solidarity.

The five-finger salute is just the latest hand signal to be adopted by fans as a means of entry into an artist's secret club, though. From the Roc Nation "Diamond Cutter" favored by Jay-Z devotees to N*E*R*D's "Star Trek"-inspired split-finger Star Trak symbol, Ronnie James Dio fans' (or any metal band, for that matter) devil horns and the two-handed W shot up by Weezer's people, secret hand jives are the lingua franca of the superfan.

Whether it's the bird-like W shot up by Wu-Tang warriors or Tupac's omnipresent finger-twisting West Side pose, throwing your hands up has long been the ultimate way to show you really care. So, the next time some kid in a disco ball-themed unitard flashes his teeth at you and bares his claws, don.t reach for a Taser. Be proud. You're in the club.

(Click here for more photos of music-related hand signals from Lady Gaga, Cobra Starship and Jay-Z!)