Technique
Aerial
Any movement in which the rider leaves the water, with or without the board.
Aerial is the umbrella term for any maneuver that takes the rider off the water surface, whether the board stays attached (an air) or is briefly separated. It encompasses simple airs off the lip up through grabbed and rotated aerials. Aerials are advanced because they require speed, a clean launch, and a controlled re-entry into the wave.
The term is used interchangeably with punt and overlaps heavily with the specific named airs in any trick list.