Metropol
The offical blurb (Guide to Living in Pittsburgh) has...
Located in a warehouse in the Strip District, Metropol plays a fairly wide mix of music, ranging from house music and techno to Top-40 and a smidgen of rap and funk... Lots of young people (20-25) go there. Great sound and light system. In August 1991 they opened Rosebud next door, a coffeehouse and social venue. Rosebud features everything from art shows to live music to poetry readings. Many nights the same cover will allow you to migrate freely between the two, giving you ears a chance to recover from Metropol's non-stop pounding beats.
The reality is that Metropol's charm depends upon what day you go. It frequently has big name concerts and live acts. Check InPittsburgh to see if that is indeed the case, because there normally is a hangon contingent after the show that can help to make or break a night.
Wednesday nights were Indotech - Good industrial music and a not too crowded dance floor. Reasonable crowd. However, Intotech has wrapped up, and since March 12, Metrohell has been closed on Wednesdays. I'm sure they'll try a new experiment soon (It seems that each year they try a different thing, to get a crowd - I remember the cheap drink Wednesday night experiment with fondness, and the Harley Davidson nights also amused). Admission was $2.
Thursday is a much better bet. "Agony & Ecstasy - House & Techno Main Room, Galaxy Lounge 2nd Floor". Now this was the biz. Its a gayish crowd but unfortunately not flamboyantly so. Upstairs, in the VIP lounge, is the Galaxy Lounge, where heavy Goth music is played. Wear Black. Dress Black. Think Black. The main floor, the music is indeed house and techno, very mainstream house and techno. Metropol started off aiming this at the heavily gay community, with male and female gogo dancers, drag acts, and flamboyency encouraged. Since those heady days, it has been toned down, but the $1.50 drinks from 10-12pm give a fine buzz to the night. Admission is $2.
Friday and Saturday forget it. It will be mobbed. Well, if you like getting jollies by pressing up against trapped nubile young things, and joining circles of static beerswillers on the dance floor, who am I to decry your judgement. Friday night is "Panic Bar - Modern Rock and Industrial Music" and is broadcast on FM105.9, from 11pm-1am. ie radio friendly floor stompers. Saturday night "1984 - New Wave Flashback with Big Brother" is a more 80's equivalent. You really don't want to go. Drink specicals, but it is $5 in.
Sunday is fun again. "Sunday Services" finds them playing "Progressive Music". OK, so what this boils down to is a more with it Top-40 selection, with an occasional techno bubbler. What makes sunday fun is the crowd- a full floor, but not crowded, and a good mixture of people. Basically, everyone who was avoiding Metropol on Friday and Saturday. $5 is the slight drawback, but you have the fallback of popping over to Rosebud, and doing Disco.
Update - hmm, I've been a few sundays more recently (in April), and the crowd has thinned out. It could be a time of year thing (finals etc) or everyone may now be bombing over to Heaven.