For the most part regular heavy metal has never had mainstream popularity in the USA. It was glam metal bands like Def Leppard, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Mƶtley CrĆ¼e, Warrant, Cinderella, Poison, etc. that got Top 40 airplay and had the big sales. The rock music press tended to put it down calling it "hair metal" or "metal for women" because of the power ballads & pretty boy singers. Or that they used makeup.
Dance music has always had mainstream popularity in the US. Early jazz was music that people danced to, until bop jazz came along which you couldn't dance to it and jazz started to become music that people just sat down and listen. Same for early rock n roll, people danced to it. During those decades, musicals with dancers and singers were popular (Ginger Rogers, Nicholas Brothers, Gene Kelly, etc). It was common for R&B and doo wop acts to dance or do steps like Jackie Wilson, The Temptations, Tina Turner &The Ikettes, James Brown, etc. Even some Black gospel groups did choreography.